Senior piano performance majors, Marissa Mathia and Yimeng Xu excelled throughout their four years of study.  Recruited by Dr. Washington Garcia, Yimeng and Marissa began their undergraduate studies as scholarship recipients to perform as a piano duo.  Under the guidance of Professor Stacie Haneline, Mathia and Xu committed to every opportunity including collaborative piano, chamber music, and the piano mentorship program.

Marissa Mathia was awarded numerous scholarships and assistantships in Piano Pedagogy and Performance to graduate schools, including the University of Colorado, Boulder; the University of Northern Iowa; the University of Missouri, Kansas City; and the University of Oklahoma.  Marissa accepted the graduate assistantship and additional stipend from the University of Oklahoma where she will begin her studies in the fall.  Marissa will study with the nationally recognized pedagogue, Dr. Barbara Fast.

Yimeng Xu’s dedication to collaborative piano began her during her freshman year.  Her commitment to studying collaborative piano each semester allowed many opportunities throughout the SOM and the community. Yimeng excelled as a scholarship recipient at the Collaborative Piano Institute for two summers.  Yimeng Xu was one of six students invited to Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan. Awarded scholarships and assistantships to collaborative piano graduate programs, including the New England Conservatory of Music, Louisiana State University, and the University of Maryland,  Yimeng Xu has accepted a full graduate assistantship and scholarship to the University of Maryland where she will study with the renowned Rita Sloan.