Eun-Joo Kwak

Dr. Eun-Joo Kwak is an internationally admired concert artist whose performances have led her to Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States, appearing at Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, American Landmark Festival in New York, Taipei National Recital Hall in Taiwan, and Seoul Arts Center in South Korea. In addition to winning the Concerto Competition at Northwestern University, she has earned top prizes in such competitions as the Samick Piano Competition in Seoul and the International Beethoven Sonata Competition in Memphis. She is also a recipient of the Scholarship of the Korean Embassy of the United States in Washington, D.C., the Performing and Creative Artists Award from the Liberace Foundation in Las Vegas, and the Yule Bogue Young Artists Award in San Francisco. An acclaimed concerto soloist, Kwak has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra of Korea. Her performances have been broadcast by KBS-FM in Korea, WFMT-Chicago, Christian Radio of Taiwan, and Wisconsin Public Radio. She has been a member of the Cheng and Kwak Piano Duo, Bronze Medalists in the Tokyo International Piano Duo Competition and was founder and pianist of the Clarus Piano Trio. A collaborative pianist in high demand, Dr. Kwak frequently concertizes with vocal artists internationally.

As a sought-after master teacher and adjudicator, she has given master classes in South Korea, Taiwan, Serbia, and Italy in addition to numerous cities in the US. Kwak has judged for international piano competitions, including the International Piano Competition of the Korea Music Society, JY Park Piano Competition in Connecticut, PianoArts Competition in Wisconsin, Music Teachers National Association competition national finals, and the International Smetana Piano Competition in Czechia. With her Debussy Préludes Book II CD publication, Dr. Kwak received the Best Research Award from the Korean American University Professor Association. She presented lecture recitals at MTNA state conference in Pennsylvania and World Piano Teachers Association International Conference in Europe. Her performance recordings are available on the Northwestern Press, Vienna Modern Masters, Marks Records, Naxos Music Library, and online music streaming services Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Dr. Kwak’s students have won top prizes at such competitions as the Steinway Young Artists Competition of Chicago, Chopin Competition of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Music Teachers Association High School and Collegiate Badger Competitions, Stillman Kelly Competition of the National Federation, and MTNA Pennsylvania Competition, and have successfully completed studies in many esteemed music festivals such as Aspen, Brevard, Manchester, and the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy. Her pupils have gone on to study at distinguished music institutions in the US and abroad, including Oberlin Conservatory, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Chicago College of Performing Arts, SUNY Stony Brook, Yale University, Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and many others. After studies at Sunhwa Arts High School in Seoul, South Korea, Kwak earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Seoul National University, Master of Music from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, and Doctor of Music from Northwestern University. She studied with Jeong-Joo Oh, Kui-Hyun Kim, Pawel Checinski, Sylvia Wang and David Kaiserman, and took additional master classes with Hans Graf, John Wustman, Robert Levin, Ursula Oppens, and Garrick Ohlsson. Dr. Kwak has been on the faculty at Truman State University, Carthage College, Cardinal Stritch University, and InterHarmony Music Festival, and is currently Professor of Music at Mansfield Campus of the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, where she is also Director of the Annual Mansfield Piano Festival.