Dang Thai Son Earns Excellence in Teaching Honors

Professor of Piano Dang Thai Son was one of three Oberlin Conservatory faculty honored with an Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2021-22 academic year. The award, presented in spring 2023, recognizes faculty who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in their teaching.

A world-renowned teacher and performer who has taught at Oberlin since 2018, Dang is a driving force behind the Oberlin-Como Piano Academy, which welcomes top pedagogues from around the world to teach standout students on campus.

He is a celebrated interpreter of the works of Chopin—a first-prize winner of the 10th Chopin Competition who has sent a steady stream of protégés to the medal stand in subsequent years. In fall 2021, three students of Dang qualified for the competition, including overall winner Bruce Xaioyu Liu, a fellow of the Oberlin-Como Piano Academy.

“Dang Thai Son is one of the leading pianists and piano pedagogues of his generation, and we are so very grateful to count him as a colleague,” says Dean of the Conservatory William Quillen. “His artistry and teaching are renowned throughout the world, and his expertise can be seen in the remarkable young pianists who rise through his studio and seize extraordinary opportunities of their own.”

Each year, the conservatory honors three members of the faculty selected by the Conservatory Faculty Council. Joining Dang with Excellence in Teaching honors for 2021-22 are Associate Professor of Music Theory Megan Kaes Long and Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Aural Skills Bryan Parkhurst.

Learn about 2021-22 Excellence in Teaching honorees from the College of Arts and Sciences.