近日，曼哈顿音乐学院（MSM）宣布，任命钢琴家Bin Yu Sanford与Weicong Zhang为合作钢琴教师，她们将于2026年秋季正式加入该校享誉全球的声乐艺术与合作钢琴系。此次聘任旨在进一步巩固该学院在钢琴合作艺术领域的领导地位，为学生们带来更丰富的艺术指导与前沿视野。
“我们热烈欢迎这些杰出的艺术家兼教师加入MSM声乐和钢琴合作专业的优秀师资队伍，” MSM执行副校长兼教务长乔伊斯·格里格斯（Joyce Griggs ）表示，“对于MSM的杰出校友魏聪而言，我们更是欢迎她重返母校。Bin Yu Sanford与Weicong Zhang都拥有丰富的表演和教育经验，他们的理念与MSM致力于培养卓越人才、提供丰富且充满支持的教育环境、鼓励学生勇于创新的理念高度契合。”
Bin Yu Sanford是一位杰出的独唱家、合作钢琴家、声乐指导，也是多家知名歌剧院的音乐团队成员，她的职业生涯遍及美国、亚洲和南美洲。她近期参与的演出包括卡内基音乐厅、美国歌剧致敬音乐会和萨尔茨堡音乐节协会晚会，并定期担任旧金山歌剧院和洛杉矶歌剧院的客座音乐团队成员。桑福德通过领先的青年艺术家项目与新兴艺术家合作并指导他们，她曾在洛杉矶歌剧院的多明戈-科尔本-斯坦青年艺术家项目、沃尔夫陷阱歌剧院和圣路易斯歌剧院工作。她毕业于大都会歌剧院的林德曼青年艺术家发展项目。
Weicong Zhang拥有曼哈顿音乐学院（MSM）音乐艺术博士学位和合作钢琴硕士学位，是一位活跃于国际舞台的合作钢琴家、室内乐演奏家、录音艺术家和教育家，曾在北美和亚洲各地演出和授课。她曾与众多知名艺术家合作，包括伊曼纽尔·帕胡德、皮埃尔·阿莫亚尔、今井信子、冯宁、李腾、杨文信、伊恩·斯文森、周南希和保罗·塔巴利奥内，并在卡内基音乐厅、约旦音乐厅、北京国家大剧院和上海音乐厅等著名场馆演出。她曾在世界各地的音乐学院和大学举办大师班，包括曼哈顿音乐学院、旧金山音乐学院、奥克兰大学音乐学院以及中国多所顶尖音乐学院。目前，她是天津茱莉亚音乐学院器乐伴奏和室内乐客座教授。
“我们非常高兴地欢迎于斌和魏聪加入曼哈顿音乐学院，”曼哈顿音乐学院声乐与合作钢琴系主任卡琳·格雷厄姆说道。“这两位资深的艺术家兼教师将为他们在合作钢琴教学方面的新角色带来丰富的经验，进一步提升我们项目的水平和卓越性。该项目旨在挑战和培养学生的自主艺术能力，并赋予他们自信地开辟自己道路的能力。我非常期待他们在2026年秋季学期到来。”
Recently, the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) announced the appointment of pianists Bin Yu Sanford and Weicong Zhang as collaborative piano faculty members. They will officially join the school's world-renowned Vocal Arts and Collaborative Piano Department in the fall of 2026. This appointment aims to further strengthen the school's leading position in the field of collaborative piano artistry and provide students with richer artistic guidance and cutting-edge perspectives.
“We warmly welcome these outstanding artists and teachers to the distinguished faculty of MSM’s Vocal and Collaborative Piano programs,” said Joyce Griggs, Executive Vice President and Provost of MSM. “We are especially pleased to welcome back MSM alumna Wei Cong to her alma mater. Both Yu Bin and Wei Cong possess extensive performance and teaching experience, and their philosophies align perfectly with MSM’s commitment to cultivating excellence, providing a rich and supportive educational environment, and encouraging students to be innovative.”
Bin Yu Sanford is an accomplished soloist, co-pianist, vocal coach and member of the musical staff of several renowned opera houses, with a career spanning the United States, Asia and South America. Her recent performances include Carnegie Hall, the American Opera Tribute Concert, and the Salzburg Festival Society Gala, and she is a regular guest musical team member at the San Francisco Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. Sanford collaborates with and mentors emerging artists through leading young artist programs, and she has worked with the Los Angeles Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera Theater of St. Louis. She is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
Weicong Zhang holds a PhD in Musical Arts and a MA in Collaborative Piano from the Manhattan School of Music (MSM). He is an internationally active collaborative pianist, chamber musician, recording artist and educator who has performed and taught throughout North America and Asia. She has collaborated with many well-known artists, including Emmanuel Pahud, Pierre Amoyar, Nobuko Imai, Feng Ning, Li Teng, Wenxin Yang, Ian Svensson, Nancy Zhou and Paolo Tabaglione, and has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jordan Concert Hall, Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts and Shanghai Concert Hall. She has given master classes at conservatories and universities around the world, including the Manhattan School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Oakland University School of Music, and many top music conservatories in China. Currently, she is a visiting professor of instrumental accompaniment and chamber music at the Tianjin Juilliard School.
“We are very pleased to welcome Bin Yu and Cong Wei to the Manhattan School of Music,” said Karin Graham, chair of the Department of Voice and Cooperative Piano at the Manhattan School of Music. "These two veteran artist-teachers will bring a wealth of experience to their new roles in collaborative piano teaching, further elevating the level and excellence of our program. The program is designed to challenge and develop students' autonomous artistic abilities and empower them to confidently forge their own paths. I very much look forward to their arrival in the fall 2026 semester."