Qifan Wu

Qifan Wu is Professor of Practice in Piano Performance at Loyola University New Orleans.

An accomplished pianist, educator, and scholar, Wu has performed as a soloist and with orchestras across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has earned top prizes in competitions including the Global International Music Competition, the International Chinese Piano Competition in Singapore, and the KAWAI Asia Piano Competition. His scholarly work includes Brazilian Adaptations of Baroque and Classical Elements in the Piano Sonata in F Minor, Opus 9 by Alberto Nepomuceno, as well as presentations on developing and refining essential pianistic techniques.

Wu is a passionate advocate for music education and community engagement. He currently serves as President of the New Orleans Music Teachers Association and Director of Keyboard Studies at the International Music Institute. He regularly serves as a judge and coordinator for music competitions, including the NOMTA Sonata Competition and the LFMC State Junior Competition. He has also organized and performed in collaborative concerts with his students, fostering artistic growth and community connection. His professional experience includes serving as a piano maintenance assistant at the Peabody Conservatory, staff accompanist at the Peabody Preparatory, and translator for the Shanghai International Piano Festival and Institute. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Kappa Phi, and the American Liszt Society.

Wu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of North Texas, where he studied with concert pianist Gustavo Romero and renowned pedagogue Joseph Banowetz. During his doctoral studies, he served as a Teaching Fellow, providing individual and group instruction to students of diverse levels. He earned his Master of Music from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University under the guidance of American pianist Benjamin Pasternack, and his Bachelor of Music from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he studied with pianist Andrew Cooperstock and harpsichordist Elizabeth Farr. He has also received mentorship from distinguished artists including Victor Rosenbaum, Larry Graham, Douglas Humphreys, and Kirill Gerstein.