About
Pianist Rena Murong Wu is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Dror Biran and Michael Chertock. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Piano Performance studying with Alexander Kobrin and her Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan in both Piano Performance and Chamber Music studying with Logan Skelton. Rena began her music studies in the U.S. in 2014 at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School studying with Elizabeth Skavish, and has since performed internationally in China, Spain, and Germany at venues such as the Liszt Gartenhaus (Weimar) and the Schumannhaus Museum (Leipzig). She remains an active performer throughout the U.S. and has made appearances in summer festivals including Gijon International Piano Festival, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, and the Chautauqua Piano Program, where she was a finalist in the 2022 piano competition. In recognition of excellence in her performances, commitment to teaching and leadership within the keyboard community at CCM, Rena was recently awarded the 2025 Dorothy Payne Award sponsored by the Keyboard Club of Cincinnati. An enthusiastic educator, Rena currently holds a Graduate Teaching Assistantship in the Secondary Piano and Piano Pedagogy department, teaching group piano classes and private lessons as the instructor of record. She has made frequent appearances at conferences presenting workshops, including the 2024 Ohio MTA, the 2025 MTNA Collegiate symposium, the 2025 Kentucky MTA, and the 2025 MTNA National Conference. Rena is also an avid chamber musician, maintaining an active performing career across the country with recent chamber music appearances in Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Ann Arbor, MI, and State College, PA. A new music enthusiast, Rena has worked closely with composers in both performing and workshopping their compositions and performed a wide variety of contemporary music as a member of the University of Michigan’s Contemporary Direction Ensemble.
Teaching Philosophy
My journey as a pianist and teacher is deeply shaped by the teachers who influenced me at every stage of my development. Their impact on my growth—both as a musician and a person—directly informs how I approach teaching today. Above all, I believe in the power of listening: not just to music, but to the student, their needs, and the sounds they are creating.
Listening as the Foundation
My earliest meaningful turning point as a pianist came when I met the teacher who, quite literally, changed the course of my life. She taught me how to listen—how to connect with music in a way that goes beyond notes on a page. That lesson stuck with me. Later, my undergraduate teacher took that foundation and pushed it further, challenging me to listen with even greater nuance. He was exacting and demanding, and while difficult, he taught me that a pianist is only as good as their ears. In my teaching today, I often ask myself, “What would he say?” His voice is present in how I evaluate sound, phrasing, and technique.
Technique Through Repertoire
I firmly believe that technical development and musical listening should happen within the repertoire. That’s how I was taught, and it’s how I teach. I choose pieces intentionally—each one meant to develop a particular technical or musical skill. Whether it’s refining sound production, hearing phrase direction, or shaping dynamic contrast, I guide my students to discover how these elements live in the music they’re playing. My own teachers did this with me: restricting me to Scarlatti or Mozart until my ears were ready for more chromatic or dense repertoire. I now pass on that patience and intentional pacing to my students.
Empathy, Encouragement, and Realism
When students say, “This is too hard,” I remind them: the technique they resist is the very foundation of the music they want to play. I help them see how scales, passages, and listening habits appear in their favorite repertoire. I also normalize struggle and nerves—something I’ve experienced firsthand. Performance is human, and the live stage is not about perfection. It’s about resilience, storytelling, and recovery. I coach my students to see those moments of challenge as part of the artistry.
I teach because I was changed by great teachers. My goal is to be that same spark for someone else—to help them learn how to hear, how to grow, and how to love the lifelong pursuit of music.