Hillary Santoso

Hillary Santoso, a native of Los Angeles, has received recognition in numerous competitions, including the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, where she was awarded the Judges’ Award and invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. She was a finalist in the National YoungArts Foundation and the International Washington D.C. Competition, as well as a recipient of the Judges’ Award at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, leading to a performance at the American Liszt Society Festival. As a soloist, Hillary has performed with various orchestras, including the Glendale Symphony Orchestra, where her collaboration led to a performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra Mentorship Partners program. Her other performance highlights include concertos by Beethoven, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff, as well as numerous recitals and collaborative performances. Hillary is deeply committed to using her music to serve and inspire others. She organized a benefit recital featuring piano and violin to support the American Red Cross and Tzu Chi Foundation’s Tsunami Relief Effort, raising over $5,000 for the cause. She has volunteered her time teaching piano to children with autism and has extensive teaching experience spanning toddler group classes, university-level instruction, and private lessons. Her students have consistently excelled in Royal Conservatory of Music and ABRSM examinations, and she has presented research at Music Teachers National Association conferences at both the collegiate and national levels, including topics on mindfulness and meditation in piano pedagogy. She holds an M.M. and D.M.A. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Michigan, where she studied piano with Dr. Logan Skelton and pedagogy with Dr. John Ellis. Her dissertation, Building an Online Piano Studio, explores innovative methods for piano instruction in the digital age. Hillary earned her B.M. in piano performance under Yoshikazu Nagai at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has also studied with Bernadene Blaha and Ory Shihor and performed in masterclasses with pianists including John Perry, Gary Graffman, Leon Fleisher, and Jerome Lowenthal. Additionally, Hillary has been awarded prestigious scholarships, including the Joanne Smith Performance and Pedagogy Scholarship and the EXCEL Enterprise Fund Grant for the 5pm Series. Hillary’s musical journey began under the guidance of her mother, Michelle Santoso, and her dedication to teaching and continuous learning continues to leave a meaningful impact on her students and audiences alike.