INCREMENTAL BIOS

100 WORDS:

Believing the magic and the joy that music can bring into peoples’ lives, Valentina Qishan Huang is a passionate performer, collaborator, and teacher. She recently was awarded first prizes at the Poister Organ Competition and the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition. Being a young organist, Valentina constantly explores different possibilities in collaborating with other musicians and artists, including her latest cross-cultural project East Meets Pipes. Valentina strives to become a well-rounded musician not only as a professional organist, pianist, but also a church musician. Valentina holds degrees from Wesleyan College, Peabody Institute of Music, and Jacobs School of Music. Currently she is a doctoral student under the tutelage of Prof. Ken Cowan at the Shepherd School of Music and is Associate Organist at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston.

300 WORDS:

Believing the magic and the joy that music can bring into peoples’ lives, Valentina Qishan Huang is a passionate performer, collaborator, and teacher. Her most-recent awards are the first prizes from the Poister Organ Competition and the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition in 2024. As a young advocate of the instrument, Valentina seeks to fuse her cultural heritage into this extraordinary instrument, through the exploration of new music on the organ. Her most recent project is East meets Pipes, in which she commissioned two organ works that are inspired by Ancient Chinese poetry and art. Valentina’s organ journey began at her undergraduate alma mater, Wesleyan College. Being one of the recipients of the E. Power Biggs scholarship in 2019, she is keen to discover and bring out the best sound from each unique organ. After gaining a master degree in piano performance from Peabody Conservatory in 2021, Valentina furthered her organ study at Indiana University with Dr. Janette Fishell for a second master degree. She has held numerous recitals, including performing at the Franz Liszt Society, All Saints Episcopal Church, Christ Lutheran Church and more. Valentina strives to become a well-rounded musician not only as a professional performer, but also an inspiring educator. With sophisticated teaching experience, she takes joy in nurturing the talents of her students and guiding them on their own musical journeys. Through her warm and encouraging teaching style, she empowers her students to find their unique voice and express themselves through music. In addition to her musical pursuits, Valentina finds fulfillment in serving as a church musician at various churches, where she feels a deep sense of connection and community. Currently she is a doctoral student under the tutelage of Prof. Ken Cowan at the Shepherd School of Music and is Associate Organist at Palmer Episcopal Church in Houston.