Dr. Soyeon Kang

Pianist Soyeon Kang has built a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She has garnered recognition through top prizes in numerous international and national competitions, including the IAPM International Music Competition, American Protégé International Competition, International Piano Association Competition, Busan Music Education Association, Busan Duo Association, International Piano Association, Glovil National Music Competition, and the International Student Piano Competition. She has also been featured as a guest pianist in prominent auditions, solo recitals, and choral and concerto performances. In 2022, she made her successful debut at Carnegie Hall in New York.

 

Beyond piano performance, Dr. Kang has broadened her musical spectrum by studying the harpsichord with Martin Pearlman and Nicola Canzano, and the organ with Dr. Hae Won Jang. With her profound interest in historical performance practice, she has actively participated in a variety of Baroque music concerts, including collaborations with renowned early music vocalists, harpsichord duo performances, and solo harpsichord recitals.

 

In addition to her performing career, she has contributed through her scholarly pursuits. Her research includes “Nationalism and Music: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition” and “A Study of Technical Training of the Piano for Young Beginners with Analysis of Major Method Books,” which reflect her dedication both to advancing musicological inquiry and to enriching piano pedagogy. As an educator, she has been an active member of the Korean Piano Association, International Piano Association, and Busan Pianists’ Club, regularly participating in symposia, seminars, lectures, and performances dedicated to cultivating the next generation of artists.

 

During her doctoral studies, she returned temporarily to Korea to serve as an Assistant Instructor at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), where she taught applied piano and music theory, contributing to the cultural and artistic education of science majors. After earning her doctoral degree, she was appointed as an adjunct professor at Dong-Eui University, where she continued her commitment to teaching.

 

Dr. Kang graduated with highest honors in performance from Dong-Eui University, and later earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from Boston University, where she also pursued advanced studies in the Performance Diploma program. She subsequently received both the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Michigan State University. Her principal teachers include Sun Hye Park, Gila Goldstein, Margarita Shevchenko, and Derek Polischuk.