About Feifan Oh
A pianist, author, educator and entrepreneur
You will come to know Feifan as an artist who pursues refinement and maintain an artistic approach in whatever that she does which creates her value as a multi-talented and versatile person. Music and arts have shaped her not only as a professional but also as a person who would strive for excellence with passion in whatever she does.
A lifelong pursuit of passion
At age of 3, she struck her first note on the piano. When she was 17, she began her serious training at conservatories in New York, and at age of 23, she started a music school in Shanghai (Concord Music) By the year 2021, she published the second set of piano method books. Fei never ceases to inspire her students and she continues to find more new, interesting ways to teach piano and music.
Biography
Feifan has made a career at a young age. She gave first public recital at the age of 13 at the University of the Philippines in Manila, performing a ninety-minute solo program. At the age of 14, she was elected as the pianist for the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) and was one of the finalists in the 1st Chopin ASEAN International Piano Competition. Born into a musical family, her mother was her first piano teacher. At the age of 11, her talent was acknowledged during a masterclass with renowned pianist Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz, with whom she began her serious studies. At 17, Feifan was admitted to one of the top conservatories in the world, the Manhattan School of Music (Bachelor of Music), where she studied with Dr. Donn-Alexandre Feder and inherited the tradition of Rosina Lhevinne's teaching.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree, she began her Master of Music studies at New York University, where she also formed Steinhardt Trio with flutist Gina Izzo and obist Kimberly Everett. She studied extensively under Dr. Jose Ramon Mendez, a famous Spanish pianist and maestro, particularly focusing on Spanish piano repertoire. Feifan participated in masterclasses with renowned piano educators, including Robert Macdonald and Julian Martin from The Juilliard School, Christopher Oaken Philip Kawin, Solomon Mikowsky, and Arkady Aranov from the Manhattan School of Music, as well as Enters Andjidze, Zhao Yi Dan (teacher of Yundi Li), and Yuan Sheng from Beijing Central Conservatory of Music She has attended music festivals such as the Amati Music Festival in New York, the Gijon International Piano Festival in Gijon, and the International Keyboard Institute & Festival (IKIF) in New York. She has performed, including in Malaysia, the Philippines, the United States, Spain, and Germany. Feifan's transition from performer to teacher naturally, driven by her passion in education and music. She began teaching at private music schools in New York while developing her performance career. She also taught as an adjunct faculty, the Keyboard Improvisation and Harmonization Course undergraduate music students at New York University. Her research into German composers and music Germany, where she studied with Bob Versteegh at Detmold Musikhoch, further inspired her. is well-regarded for her interpretations German composers such as Beethoven, Schumann, and Bach, earning comments from audiences like “a sincere and truthful performance".
Influenced by her mother and her mentor, Jose Ramon Mendez, Feifan is an enthusiastic piano teacher seeking innovative methods to continue the tradition of classical music teaching. During her time in Bremen, Germany, Feifan dived deep into research on piano teaching methods, particularly young beginners of age 3 to 6 and the benefits of group learning. Drawing from her experience and research, she wrote and published the My Musical Animals Book 1 and Book 2, piano method books for young beginners, designed to inspire creativity, ensemble playing, and interactive activities. In 2021, she collaborated with Dr. Diane Kim on another series of method books, Poco a Poco Book 1 and Book 2. In year 2013, Feifan moved to Shanghai with a passion for providing a music education platform to inspire interest in music. She established Concord Music which became a trusted school for many due to its philosophy of fostering long-term musical interest and high-quality programs. In 2020, she relocated to West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with her daughter. In 2022, Feifan decided to close Concord Music just a few months before its 10th anniversary to focus on her new chapter in Vancouver.
Currently, Feifan is nurturing her piano students with dedication in the North Shore. Well integrated into the community, she supported the Performing Arts team at Mulgrave School from 2022 to 2024. She later served as Director of Registrations and Programs at the VSO School of Music where she focused on leadership and programming initiatives. As the leader of the registration and programming team, she oversaw the programs of the school and streamlined the process from enrollment to programming and served as a key role to the growth of the organization. Recently, she stepped down from this role to dedicate herself to researching the integration of Dalcroze methods in piano teaching while also exploring new ways to connect audiences and performers.
Through this work, she continues to share her expertise as both performer and pedagogue. As a student of Feifan, you can expect a structured, inspiring, and effective approach to piano learning.
A Glimpse of Fei's Recent Playing
Improvisation by Fei
"Spiderman in New York City"
As a Dalcroze-inspired teacher, improvisation plays a big role in her teaching. Fei continues to practice improvisation as she continues her Dalcroze training and she enjoys such spontaneous creativity. She often improvises in lessons to make the lessons more fun for her students. Her lessons are always, always filled with music!
Can you hear the busy subway and Spiderman crawling up the skyscraper in this improvisation by Fei? Maybe there is also a villain. Anyway, use your imagination!
Teaching Career
Fei has sought to inspire more than 100+ students who have studied with her. Among her students' best accomplishments, she is most proud of those who have continued to love music in their own ways. One of her students turned out to be a professional piano tuner, some have won prizes in international competitions, many have continued to love music even in their teenagehood despite the statistics of most students dropping out and give out during teenagehood. Her influence as a good teacher could be well tested with time as most of her students continues to love music.
She is a versatile teacher who is able to re-arrange pieces, compose and even edit music and videos for her students. She offers systematic learning with well-paced learning goals that will keep students motivated from time to time and her ability to build bonds and trust enable her to make positive impacts in her students' lives.
