ISB 2025 Convention Presenter — Jiaying Zhang

Jiaying Zhang, a young bassist, began her musical journey in Shanghai at age four, starting with piano before transitioning to bass. At 15, she gained admission to the Affiliated High School of Shanghai Conservatory of Music under the mentorship of Bing Luo. She pursued undergraduate studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music before coming to the United States for graduate studies under Derek Weller at Eastern Michigan University. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate at Louisiana State University, studying classical double bass with Yung-Chiao Wei and jazz with Dr. Molly Redfield. In 2023, she participated in Yung-Chiao Wei's Beethoven project at the ISB. Additionally, she arranged and performed Beethoven's Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major on double bass. In 2024, she achieved third place at the Louisiana Bass Fest. Trained in the Suzuki method, she now teaches at the Louisiana Kid's Orchestra. She also worked as a counselor and coach at the Skyline High School summer camp in Interlochen in 2021 and participated in the College Band Directors National Association regional festival in Chicago in 2020. Before relocating to the United States, she taught in Shanghai's educational institutions and worked with the Philharmonic Orchestras in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou.