Dr. Xiyu Deng is a concert pianist, collaborative artist, and educator whose artistry has been described as “fresh and alive to every mood, nuance, and gesture” (Fanfare Magazine) and praised for its “controlled passion” and “poetic nuance” (New York Concert Review). In 2025, she released her debut album, Inner Fantasies: A Live Concert Recording of Schumann and Brahms, hailed by Fanfare as “a winning recital on all counts” and recognized by BroadwayWorld Classical for its “authentic expression.”

Born in China and trained internationally, Dr. Deng earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where her doctoral research explored Gabriel Fauré’s impressionistic style. She also holds a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory – where she won The Marion Rubin Berman ’31 Piano Honors Competition – and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

As a soloist and collaborative pianist, she has performed across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States, appearing in venues such as Merkin Concert Hall (New York), Jordan Hall (Boston), and the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing). Her selected appearances include performances at The Nancy Frampton Rising Artists Series, the Grace Note Farm Music Festival (Rhode Island), the BNP Paribas “Rising Star” Piano Festival, the Classique au Port Festival in La Rochelle, France, as well as the Liszt and Rachmaninoff Piano Marathon Concerts presented by the Central Conservatory of Music at Zhongshan Music Hall in Beijing. In addition to her performance career, Dr. Deng serves as Principal Rehearsal Pianist with the New Jersey State Opera, where she collaborates extensively with singers and conductors in operatic productions.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Deng has taught at the Manhattan School of Music and is currently on faculty at the Lindeblad School of Music. She is a Steinway Educational Partner and an active member of MTNA and NJMTNA. Her students have received top awards in international and national competitions and auditions. She has been invited to serve as a jury member for competitions and festivals, including the Young Maestro Music Competition and the Little Mozarts Competition, and Kairos International Music Competition and Festival.