Eric Hoang is a Vietnamese-American pianist and educator, known for his colorful and deeply moving interpretations.

 In 2025, Hoang won the Gold Medal and Audience Award at the 14th Rosen-Schaffel Competition in Boone, North Carolina. There, his performance of Chopin’s Four Ballades and Debussy Selected Preludes were received by a roaring sold-out audience in the Rosen Concert Hall. 

From a young age, Hoang had the privilege to learn music through extracurricular programs; this led him to play B-flat clarinet throughout middle and high school, while starting to dabble in jazz piano. Despite this, he did not find his passion in classical piano until his senior year of high school, when, at the age of 16, circumstances in his life led him to audition for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

There, Dr. Dmitri Vorobiev welcomed him, noting ’something refreshing’ in his playing, despite lacking in technique and experience. Through the outstanding support and generosity of his teacher, Hoang was given the opportunity to devote his entire soul to music.

  In 2023, he would debut on both PBS ‘The Art of Piano’ and NPR’s Classical WSMR 89.1 Live Radio. The latter happening amidst his time at Rebecca Penney’s Piano Festival. He spent two summers in 2022 and 2023 at RPPF, where he was exposed to diverse ideas and where he committed to the authentic artistry presented by Ms. Penneys. This experience pushed Hoang to study and discover all ways of thinking at the piano. Hoang has played a wide variety of works in masterclasses for esteemed pedagogues such as Stanislav Ioudenitch (2001 Cliburn Gold Medalist), Antonio Pompa-Baldi (2001 Cliburn Silver Medalist), Roberto Plano (Cleveland Gold Medalist), Douglas Humphreys (Gina Bachauer Gold Medalist), Ann Schein, Jerome Lowenthal, and many more. During these years, he built lifelong friendships with some of the best artistic voices from the new generation of American classical pianists, such as Adrian King and Angeline Ma; these meaningful relationships gave Eric continued artistic clarity.

As a lover of chamber music, Hoang has performed alongside principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Robert Demaine; and NYU Steinhardt and Manhattan School of Music faculty, Jordan Bak, in concert. 

Eric Hoang now lives with his wife, May; and cat, Pooh. He continues to perform in his home state of North Carolina, known for preferring small communities and intimate settings. 

Hoang was invited to the Conservatoria della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, for the 2025-2026 year.