Biography
Pianist Kyung-Eun Na has cultivated a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, opera coach, and music director.
Prior to her arrival in Oberlin, she served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Purchase College Conservatory of Music (SUNY), Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Montclair State University, Seoul Arts High School, and Sungshin Women’s University in South Korea.
She has served on the music staffs of renowned opera houses, festivals, and institutions such as Hawaii Opera Theatre, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Soo Opera Theatre, Virginia Opera, the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, the Music Academy of the West, Aspen Opera Theater Center, and the International Music Academy in Siena, Italy. Winner of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition in 2007, Na participated in recital tours and master classes with emerging singers including Nadine Sierra, Brenda Rae, and Isabel Leonard.
Na’s chamber music credits include collaborations with renowned soloists including Matthew Lipman (viola), Jasmine Choi (flute), and Soovin Kim (violin). Her collaborative performances include recital tours and opera gala concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Steinway Hall, Town Hall, and Merkin Hall in New York City, as well as at major venues throughout the United States, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Beyond performing and teaching, Na is highly sought-after for directing and programming fundraising concerts and cultural exchange events internationally, including a fall 2022 role as director of a concert tour in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in celebration of Korea's 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the Central American countries. She is enthusiastic about reaching audiences with limited access to public performance venues, especially residents of Alzheimer centers, children’s hospitals, and nursing homes. She served on the board of innovative Bridge (EnoB), a nonprofit organization that specializes in providing outreach concerts for disenfranchised populations. As a Si-Yo Artist, she has been internationally presented by the foundation, performing multiple concerts and giving presentations about classical music for schoolchildren.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Na earned a doctorate in collaborative piano from the Manhattan School of Music, a master’s degree in collaborative piano from the Juilliard School, an artist diploma from Oberlin Conservatory, and a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Yonsei University.
