Praised by Fanfare magazine as “a pianist with extraordinary pianism and artistry by any measure or standard,” Dr. Jin Ah Kwon has performed internationally in prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Seoul Arts Center in South Korea, Murchison Performing Arts Center in Texas, and Tambov Grand Concert Hall in Russia.
Dr. Kwon’s debut solo album, Music by Chopin & Liszt, was released by Centaur Records in the spring of 2021. Sponsored by the Texas Chopin Society, the album features short works by these two iconic composers. She has garnered critical acclaim from notable publications such as Fanfare and Eumak Journal, as well as major media outlets including YTN and KTN. Her second album, Liszt’s Schubert Interpretation, was released in early 2024, further establishing her as a respected artist in the classical music world.
Currently, Dr. Kwon serves as a music faculty member at Tarrant County College, where she also directs the Milal Orchestra, a unique ensemble dedicated to providing musical opportunities to differently-abled individuals. Previously, she taught at Dallas College, sharing her expertise with a wide range of college students. In addition to her academic roles, she runs her own piano studio, mentoring talented students who have won numerous national and international competitions. Many of her students have been offered scholarships and admissions to prestigious institutions such as UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Boston College, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, and UT Austin, among others.
As a jury member and guest artist, Dr. Kwon actively participates in music auditions and competitions. She has served as a scholarship judge at the University of Texas at Arlington and collaborated with the Arlington Arts League to mentor college students on scholarship applications. Additionally, she was invited by the Corpus Christi Teachers’ Association and the Milal Competition to judge student music contests, further showcasing her commitment to nurturing the next generation of talented musicians.
Dr. Kwon earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from Seoul National University. Early in her career, she was invited to perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto Op. 16 with the renowned Tambov Symphony Orchestra in Russia, marking a significant milestone. She later completed her PhD in Music from the University of North Texas in 2019. During her doctoral studies, she won the concerto competition and performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the UNT Concert Symphony Orchestra at the Murchison Performing Arts Center.
Her doctoral dissertation, Franz Liszt as Transcriber and Editor: A Historical Overview and Analytical Study of His Three Versions of Franz Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, D.760, delves into Liszt’s rare editions. She continues to explore this project in her research and is preparing to record a new album based on this work, in collaboration with Timothy Jackson, a distinguished research professor at UNT.
