Biography
Isabel is a Kansas native and NYC-based pianist. In 2019, she won two international competitions in China: the ROXE MTSY International Music Competition in Xi’an and BIMFA Solo Piano Competition in Beijing. She also won first place in the Sigma Alpha Iota Competition and Kansas Music Teachers Association Collegiate Auditions and was a prize winner in the Conero International Piano Competition, the North International Music Competition, American Protégé International Piano Competition, International Young Artist Competition, Fite Family Piano Competition, and K.C. Musical Club Competition. Isabel has performed at a variety of concert venues, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Oculus at the World Trade Center, Bohemian National Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Opera America, and the International House in NYC; Teatro Pavone in Perugia; Xi’an Concert Hall in Xi’an; RUC Concert Hall in Beijing; and Lied Center in Kansas. She has played as a soloist with the Alicante Symphony Orchestra of Spain, the Heritage Philharmonic Orchestra of Missouri, and Blue Valley North Symphonic Orchestra in Kansas.
A dedicated teacher, Isabel received a Mannes Teaching Fellowship and the Piano League’s “Excellence of Teaching” award. She was one of the founding teachers for Pianos Without Borders, and her essay “Educating the Soul: Chopin as Teacher” was published by the Teacher-Scholar Society. She has presented lectures through the Meitang Shengle International Music Studio, International Piano Professionals Association, and the Conero International Music Festival. Her students have won prizes in numerous competitions and have been invited to perform in Carnegie Hall.
Isabel is passionate about spreading the joy of music to wider audiences. She is a musician-owner of Groupmuse, a platform which brings hosts, local musicians and music-lovers together for house concerts. As a board member of the KU MTNA Collegiate Chapter, Isabel organized a series of benefit concerts for local nonprofit organizations in Lawrence, Kansas. She has enjoyed performing for elementary students in the "Neighborhood Classics" outreach program, and for patients at New York-Presbyterian and Johns Hopkins Hospitals.
Isabel received a Fulbright award from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, allowing her to study in the Czech Republic with Professor Jan Jiraský at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. She completed a Masters of Music degree in Piano Performance at Mannes School of Music – The New School in New York City under the direction of Dr. Vladimir Valjarević. She received her Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance from KU School of Music studying with former department chair Dr. Jack Winerock.