Prof. Dan Zhaoyi is a well-known Chinese piano educator who enjoys Governmental Special Allowance of the State Council. In addition, Prof. Dan serves as a tenured professor of Shenzhen Arts School, dean of Piano Art Institute, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, counselor of Piano Society of Chinese Musicians’ Association and Honorary Chairman of Shenzhen Musicians Association.

Prof. Dan has been engaged in piano teaching for more than 50 years. During his teaching career, 26 of his students have won 70 awards (including 26 first prizes) in international piano competitions. His most famous students – Li Yundi, Chen Sa, and Zhang Haochen – won prizes one after another in the Chopin International Piano Competition in Poland, the Leeds International Piano Competition in Great Britain, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in the United States, and other top competitions in the world. This is of historic significance in the Chinese piano education and performances. Furthermore, another batch of his students, including Zuo Zhang, Xue Tingzhe, Pan Linzi, Gu Jingdan, Du Tianqi, Li Wenjuan and Xu Qi made outstanding achievements in international competitions successively.

In recent years, Prof. Dan has spent some time in promoting piano education and relevant piano teaching training. Besides, he has delivered lectures, opened master classes and online courses across the country. Prof. Dan has spent five year in editing a series of New Paths: The Basics Piano Course for Beginning Students which is based on “happy piano” and “Basic Piano” concepts, being the first set of basics piano teaching materials with scientific, systematic, national and interesting features. The book is well received and recognized in China. Prof. Dan has achieved remarkable achievements in writing in addition to teaching.

He has often been invited as a jury at many important piano competitions at home and abroad, such as the Chinese Golden Bell Award for Piano, International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia, International Paderewski Piano Competition, Mozart International Piano Competition Aachen, rand Prix Animato (Paris) International Piano Competition, The Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition, Dublin International Piano Competition and Madrid International Piano Competition Spanish Composers.