Reginald Winters
President

Reginald (“Reggie”) Winters is a pianist, harpsichordist, educator, and arts administrator based in Greeley, Colorado. He currently serves as a staff pianist at the University of Northern Colorado, where he is in frequent demand as a collaborator in both the voice and instrumental areas. His orchestral experience includes performances with the Texas Tech University Symphony Orchestra and the chamber ensemble Ensemble Bravura.

As a harpsichordist, Reggie is an active presence throughout Colorado’s Front Range, performing regularly with ensembles and chamber partners. Highlights include continuo with the URSA Early Music Ensemble, cantata programs featuring works by Handel and Barbara Strozzi, and J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050, with violinist Jubal Fulks and flutist James Hall.

In his work as an arts administrator, Reggie champions music and education through leadership roles with a variety of organizations. He is Executive Director of the Colorado International Piano Academy & Festival and its affiliated International Piano Competition. He also serves as Executive Administrator for Orvieto Musica, a distinguished summer chamber music festival in Orvieto, Italy, and supports the administrative and marketing efforts of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Previous appointments include Artistic Co-Director of Beethoven in the Rockies: Concert Series and Production Assistant on the SONY album Finding Home, produced by Grammy-winner Michael Fine and featuring Maestro Philip Mann with Ensemble Bravura.

In addition to his staff role, Reggie is a Graduate Part-Time Instructor at the University of Northern Colorado, where he teaches in the piano department. Prior to relocating to Colorado, he held an administrative post at The Music Studio (Lubbock, TX) where he also maintained a thriving piano studio.

Reggie holds the Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Texas Tech University and the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Northern Colorado, where he is currently pursuing the Doctor of Arts degree in Piano Performance with a cognate in Music History and Literature. His principal teachers include Dr. Tatiana Roitman Mann, Dr. Lei Weng, and Professor Debra Throgmorton.

Qingzhou Zhang
Vice President

Qingzhou Zhang is a collaborative pianist from Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, dedicated to versatile partnerships with vocalists, instrumentalists, and ensembles. He is currently a Staff Collaborative Pianist at the University of Northern Colorado. Before that, he served as the choral accompanist for the Estes Park School District Middle/High School Choir, collaborating with Dr. Alan Denney. At UNC, he currently also serves as the Vice President of the Northern Colorado MTNA Collegiate Chapter.

Qingzhou has extensive rehearsal and performance experience in opera and musical theatre, with production credits including the operas Così fan tutte and The Mother of Us All, as well as the musicals Chicago, Titanic, The Addams Family, and Brigadoon. His prior professional experience also includes serving as an accompanist for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.

Qingzhou holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance and a Piano Pedagogy Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University, a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from East China Normal University, and he is now a Doctor of Arts candidate in Collaborative Piano with secondary emphasis in Harpsichord performance at the University of Northern Colorado School of Music.

When not at the piano, Qingzhou is also a skilled photographer and audio engineer, and enjoys time with cats!

Yiyi Zhang
Treasurer

Yiyi Zhang, a mezzo-soprano who study at University of Northern Colorado as a first-year doctoral student. She comes from Tsingtao, China. As a student, she was double-majored in Bachelor of Performing Arts (Vocal) and Business and Finance from Shandong University during undergraduate and majored her first master’s degree from Auburn University in Master of Music Education (MME). She obtained her Master of Music (Vocal Performance) in Syracuse University in 2023.

After attending UNC, she served as a collaborative pianist for part of the brass section during her first semester and will pursue the next two years on Music Technology as her secondary concentration. As a singer, she was active in many choral ensembles, as well as contemporary oratorio soloist. During her graduate career, she participated as a soloist in Act I of Alzheimer’s Stories by Robert Cohen in 2021 and chorus for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Amy Beach’s Opera Cabildo, Op.149 in 2023, as well as the regular guest performer at the annual Syracuse Hendrick Chapel Christmas Holidays. Now, she is the first doctoral student in Dr. Logan Contreras’s voice studio.

Qingyun Zhang
Secretary

Qingyun (Zoy) Zhang is a pianist, collaborator, and choral conductor at the University of Northern Colorado. Originally from Qidong, China, she began her musical training at age 13 under Dr. Keng Zhou at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She later attended the Affiliated Secondary School of NUA, focusing on composition alongside piano studies.

Despite starting piano relatively late, Zoy showed a strong interest in composition during high school. After graduation, she pursued a degree in Piano Performance at St. Cloud State University, where she also worked as an accompanist for the university orchestra and collaborated with various vocalists and instrumentalists.

Zoy’s enthusiasm for collaborative piano grew during her undergraduate years, prompting her to pursue further studies in the field. She earned her Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from Illinois State University under the guidance of Dr. Tuyen Tonnu. During this time, Zoy held a full scholarship as a piano teaching assistant, performed with the school orchestra, and taught undergraduate group piano classes.

Currently, Zoy is working towards a Doctor of Arts degree in Collaborative Piano Performance with a Secondary Emphasis in Choral Conducting at the University of Northern Colorado. Her primary advisors are Dr. Joe McAllister for piano and Dr. Jill Burgett for conducting. She is in demand as a collaborator, working extensively across both instrumental and vocal areas within the School of Music.

Kexin Zeng
Member-at-Large
University of Northern Colorado

Kexin Zeng is a pianist and music educator currently affiliated with the University of Northern Colorado, where she serves as Member-at-Large representing UNC in the Northern Colorado MTNA Collegiate Chapter. She holds a Master of Music in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from South China Normal University, where she consistently maintained excellent academic standing and received multiple first-class scholarships.

During her studies, Kexin completed educational internships at Guangzhou Arts High School and other institutions, while also developing cross-platform digital content for concerts and educational programs. She has led multimedia marketing campaigns that significantly increased student engagement and produced widely viewed performance content for university departments.

An active collaborator and program coordinator, Kexin has worked with more than thirty vocal and instrumental soloists at major venues including Shenzhen Concert Hall, Dongguan Yulan Grand Theatre, Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Theatre, and Guangzhou Library. Her work spans recital production, concert coordination, and audience development, with a focus on aligning artistic excellence with effective outreach.

Kexin is an award-winning pianist, earning top honors at national and international competitions, including the China Youth Music Competition, KJC Asian International Art Festival, Hamburg International Piano Competition (China Preliminary), and the International Grand Music Competition in Moscow. She is also an experienced collaborative pianist, regularly partnering with vocalists and instrumentalists in recitals, competitions, and masterclasses.

Fluent in Mandarin and professionally proficient in English, Kexin combines strong musical artistry with expertise in education, digital communication, and strategic program development. Her work reflects a commitment to fostering artistic growth, community engagement, and sustainable cultural programming.

Dr. Jesse Pierson
Faculty Advisor

Dr. Jesse Pierson is on the faculty at Colorado State University as well as the University of Northern Colorado where he teaches music theory, aural skills, and academic writing. He also teaches piano privately in his home, coaches chamber music groups, and performs both solo and collaborative recitals. His students are regularly seen in local and state level events, competitions, and festivals. He is heavily involved in community music in Northern Colorado as the president-elect of the Fort Collins Music Teachers Association, Faculty Advisor for the Collegiate Chapter of Northern Colorado, and treasurer for the Health and Wellness Community Orchestra. Nationally, Jesse’s contributions to piano pedagogy can be seen in his publications and reviews in the MTNA eJournal and American Music Teacher Magazine. He is also a regular presenter of his research for local organizations, state, and national conferences. Jesse received his Doctorate of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado in 2020 with a focus in Piano Performance and a secondary emphasis in Music Theory. Jesse is passionate about teaching and writing curriculum for students so that they can obtain a robust understanding of all aspects of music. In a recent publication, Jesse collected and analyzed hundreds of pre-college pieces from the solo piano repertoire so that students of all ages could experience some of the most important features of music theory classes in their everyday practice. Jesse is most alive in instructional settings where he guides students and and mentors young teachers to set and achieve their musical goals.