Professional Summary
Yi Ding, soprano, has gained recognition for her exceptional vocal artistry and diverse performance experience. She has appeared extensively in both China and the United States, establishing an active international performance presence. She has won prizes in numerous international competitions, including a District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, the 12th Chinese Golden Bell Award of Music, the Korea & China International Vocal Competition, and the Tokyo International Vocal Competition. She was also a semi-finalist in both the Premier Opera Foundation International Voice Competition and the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition.
Her past roles include The First Lady in The Magic Flute, Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Liù in Turandot, Fiordiligi in Così fan Tutte, Thérèse in Les Mamelles des Tirésias, Blanche de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites, The First Wood Sprite in Rusalka, Osmina in Suor Angelica, Mimì in La Bohème, and Gianetta in L'Elisir d'Amore, etc. She has a wide-ranging repertoire on the recital stage. She has performed as a soloist with prestigious ensembles such as the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, CCM Philharmonic, Baltimore Youth Symphony Orchestra, China Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and the MSU Symphony Orchestra, and she was the featured soloist in Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle with the China Conservatory of Music Choir. She has participated in several distinguished summer programs and festivals, including the Sun Valley Music Festival, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Collaborative Piano Institute Vocal Academy, and Source Song Festival.
Yi is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she also serves as a Voice Instructor in the Preparatory Department. She was a voice faculty member at Yi Mei Institute, and she has been the music director of Cincinnati Sound of Joy Choir since 2024. She earned her Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Institute and both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the China Conservatory of Music.
Her recent research examines 20th-century Western Art Songs based on Tang Poetry for Soprano, a topic that remains largely underrepresented in current scholarship. Through this work, she offers a fresh perspective on cross-cultural exchange between Eastern and Western musical traditions.
Education
Doctor of Musical Arts: University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music Cincinnati, OH, (Voice)
Graduate Performance Diploma: Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute Baltimore, MD, (Voice)
Master of Fine Arts: China Conservatory of Music Beijing, (Voice)
Bachelor of Arts: China Conservatory of Music Beijing, (Voice)
Positions and Work Experience
- Voice Instructor, University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music,
- Adjunct, Miami University (Oxford),
- Music Director, Sound of Joy Choir,