The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) has welcomed pianists and alumni Bin Yu Sanford and Weicong Zhang to the faculty of its Vocal Arts and Collaborative Piano Division, effective as of the 2026/27 academic year. 

Sanford’s recent performance engagements include Carnegie Hall, Opera America Salutes, and the Salzburg Festival Society Gala. She also regularly serves as a guest music staff at the San Francisco Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. 

As a collaborator and mentor, she has worked with young musicians in the LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Sanford herself is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Zhang is a collaborative pianist, chamber musician, recording artist, and educator who has performed and taught across North America and Asia. Among the artists she has performed with are Emmanuel Pahud, Pierre Amoyal, Nobuko Imai, Teng Li, Win-Sinn Yang, Ian Swensen, Paolo Taballione, and VC Artists Ning Feng and Nancy Zhou. 

Additionally, Zhang has given masterclasses at MSM, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Auckland University School of Music, and conservatories across China. She is currently a Guest Professor of Instrumental Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Tianjin Juilliard School.

“We enthusiastically welcome these accomplished artist-teachers to MSM’s distinguished Vocal Arts and Collaborative Piano faculty,” said MSM Executive Vice President and Provost Joyce Griggs. “And in the case of Weicong, a distinguished double alumna of MSM, we are welcoming her back home. Both Bin Yu and Weicong have rich backgrounds as performers and educators, and they have each expressed outlooks that strongly align with MSM’s dedication to fostering excellence and providing a rich, supportive educational environment that values students’ creative risk-taking.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Bin Yu and Weicong to Manhattan School of Music,” added MSM Dean of Vocal Arts and Collaborative Piano Carleen Graham. “Both of these deeply qualified artist-teachers bring a rich wealth of experience to their new roles as Collaborative Piano faculty, adding yet more luster and excellence to a program that challenges and nurtures autonomous artistry and empowers students to confidently forge their own paths. I am so excited to welcome them both in time for the Fall 2026 semester.”