Joyce Tseng is a distinguished violist currently serving as a Board Member for the American Viola Society (2025–2028) and the Chair of the 2026 AVS Junior Solo Competition. A Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Eastman School of Music under Phillip Ying, she holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the same institution, where she was a student of George Taylor. Additionally, she earned a Master of Science in Education from the University of Rochester and a certificate from the Eastman Arts Leadership Program. Her work is supported by multiple grants, including the Eastman IML Mentorship Grant for developing a first-of-its-kind pedagogical resource for advanced violists and early-career string teachers.

Performance Highlights

An award-winning soloist, Joyce has performed the Hoffmeister Viola Concerto with the Macao Orchestra in China and appeared at prestigious venues such as St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. Her extensive festival credits include the Aspen Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute (Ashkenasi–Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar), American Viola Society Festivals, International Viola Congress, and the Karen Tuttle Viola Coordination Workshop. She has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Eastman Collegium, the Eastman Bach Cantata Series, and the "If Music Be Food" concert series, collaborating with members of the Ying Quartet and Eastman faculty.

Her accolades include the Robert L. Oppelt Viola Prize (two-time recipient), 3rd Prize in the AVS Orchestral Audition Competition (2024), 2nd Prize in the AVS Collegiate Solo Competition (2018), and 1st Prize in the Macao Young Musicians Competition.

Pedagogy

With over a decade of teaching experience (ages 4–60), Joyce has served as a Chamber Music Coach at the University of Rochester and a Teaching Assistant for Professor George Taylor at Eastman, where she also taught Secondary Viola and Strings Method Classes. Her teaching portfolio includes mentoring adult beginners in the New Horizons Green Strings ensemble, serving as a practice coach for the Heifetz Institute’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted.

Her pedagogical approach is further informed by masterclasses with luminaries including Kim Kashkashian, Atar Arad, Roberto Díaz, Robert Vernon, Martha Katz, and Hsin-Yun Huang.

Joyce's advanced training in digital pedagogy from the Warner School of Education ensures a student-centered approach to online learning & pedagogy.

ABOUT JOYCE

When Joyce is not at the viola, you can find her trying new restaurants and coffee shops, or taking long walks with a podcast. Joyce unwinds at the gym and enjoys getting lost in books on diverse topics like neurobiology of learning and the art of typography.