Dr Heah Zi Ling is a lecturer in Music at UCSI University. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and a master’s degree in Piano Performance from West Virginia University and Bowling Green State University in the United States. Prior to pursuing music professionally, she obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of London. During her postgraduate studies in the United States, Dr Heah held several academic and performance-related roles, including adjunct lecturer as Collaborative Pianist for the Strings area and graduate assistant in Choral Accompanying. She collaborated extensively with vocalists and instrumentalists, taught piano in community music school programmes and frequently served as a church pianist in West Virginia.

Dr Heah’s research interests focus primarily on French piano music. Her DMA dissertation, “Evocations of Nature in Selected Piano Works by Debussy,” was awarded the Mary T. Ferer Award for Excellence in DMA Research. At UCSI University, she teaches piano at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and supervises PhD research students in Music Performance. Her current research and performance interests include exploring the synthesis of music with various art forms, particularly in relation to freedom of expression and the distinctive qualities of Malaysia’s contemporary natural environment.