About the Instructor
Dr. Yuxin Ouyang was born in China. She began her music studies on the piano at the age of six. After deciding to study composition, she attended Music Middle School at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She received her bachelor’s degree in music composition from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and master’s degree in music composition from Rice University. In May 2020, she received her PhD in music composition from Duke University. Music, more specifically classical music, is in her blood and has been an integral part of her life. Throughout her years of studying music, she was fortunate enough to have teachers who guided her through the realm of music, profoundly impacting her understanding of it. As a result, she has always wanted to pass down what she has learned about music to other people.
During her undergraduate years at Oberlin Conservatory, she taught music composition to non-major students. While pursuing her master’s degree, she received a fellowship and was selected to instruct music classes in the preparatory program affiliated with the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. For two years, she taught courses such as music theory and aural skills to students aged six to sixteen. During her PhD studies, she was also a teaching assistant for several undergraduate-level music classes over two years and instructed music lab sessions under the guidance of professors for two semesters. In addition, she has decades of experience in teaching private piano lessons to students ranging from preschoolers to adults. All of these teaching experiences have allowed her to share her musical viewpoints and knowledge with her students, creating platforms for discussions of music.
Dr. Ouyang enjoys composing in a variety of musical styles. Her writing spans orchestra, chamber music, opera, theater, sound installation, and experimental improvisation. She has worked with renowned ensembles and musicians such as Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Deviate Septet, Jack Quartet, Wu Man and Kirill Gerstein. Ouyang’s music has been performed in concert halls in China and the U.S., including the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and the He Lvting Concert Hall in Shanghai.
Dr. Ouyang held a Duke University Graduate Fellowship from 2015 to 2020. She held a Duke University Graduate Summer Research Fellowship in 2016 and 2017, the 2018 Michael Robison Memorial Summer Fellowship, and the Julian Price Graduate Fellowship from 2019 to 2020. Her opera Trajectory was awarded third prize of the American Prize competition in 2019. She was a recipient of the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program Brown Foundation Fellowship at Rice University from 2013 to 2015. She was also awarded the Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize by Oberlin Conservatory in 2009.
Education
Duke University, PhD, Music Composition, 2020
Duke University, Master of Arts, Music Composition, 2017
Rice University, Master of Music, Music Composition, 2015
Oberlin College, Bachelor of Music, Music Composition, 2013
Teaching Experience
Private Piano Teacher, 2006-present
Oberlin College, Secondary Private Composition Teacher, 2012-2013
Rice University, Preparatory Program, Instructor - taught music theory, aural skills, music form and analysis, 2013-2015
Duke University, Teaching Assistant, 2016-2018
Duke University, Instructor - taught two music theory labs to undergraduate students, 2018-2019
Awards | Fellowships | Honors
American Prize in Composition | Opera/ Theater/ Film/ Dance division – 3rd Place | Trajectory, 2019
Julian Price Fellowship | Duke University, 2019
Summer Research Fellowship | Duke University, 2018
Departmental Fellowship | Duke University, 2015-2018
Orchestral work Sheng selected to be read by North Carolina Symphony | Raleigh, NC, 2017
Summer Research Fellowship | Duke University, 2017
Three Pieces for Piano selected for performance at John F. Kennedy Center | Washington, D.C., 2015
Brown Foundation Fellowship Award for outstanding musicians | (2013-2015) | Rice University, 2013
Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize for Outstanding Music Composition | Oberlin Conservatory, 2013
An excerpt of Trajectory selected for performance in Danenberg Honors Recital | Oberlin Conservatory, 2013
Affiliations
Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Idaho Music Teachers Association (Idaho MTA)
Treasure Valley Music Teachers Association (Treasure Valley MTA)
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)