Biography

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, pianist Jocelyn Lai has distinguished herself as one of Canada’s most prolific and versatile young artists. She began her music studies at the age of four, and has since then competed with distinction on national and international stages, most recently winning the 2016 Cleveland Institute of Music's Concerto and the 2014 American Protégé International Competitions, and capturing second prize in the 2016 Shean National and 2012 Knigge National Competitions. She has performed in prestigious venues such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie, Chan Center for the Performing Arts in Vancouver, and Paul Hall at the Juilliard School, and has been a guest solo artist performing for the Vancouver Women’s Society and at Capilano University. Furthermore, her performances have been broadcast live on Cleveland’s classical radio channel, 104.9.

During summer months, Jocelyn has worked with distinguished pedagogues including Anton Kuerti, Robert McDonald, Yoheved Kaplinsky, and Hamish Milne, to name a few, as a participant in festivals and academies across Spain, Canada, and the United States.

Committed to being a generous and connected young artist, Jocelyn continues to present concerts in local community centers and hospitals in Vancouver, New York, and Cleveland as an ambassador for the Health Arts Society in BC, a Gluck Fellow, and Outreach Performer, respectively. 

She is also an inspiring educator in her current position as faculty at Hunter College, a teaching fellow in secondary piano at the Juilliard School, and in her former one as a distance-learning apprentice at CIM. Jocelyn is a grateful recipient of many prestigious Canadian grants from the BC Arts Council, Koerner Foundation, and Hnatyshyn Foundation, which allowed her to continue her music education with such success. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the UBC School of Music, Master of Music from the Juilliard School, and an Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Her musical inspiration and guidance come from her teachers: Jane Coop, HaeSun Paik, and Julian Martin.