Biography
Hailed for “her expressive and sensitive sound,” Dr. Kyung-A Yoo joined the faculty of the Townsend School of Music in 2021 as Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano. She is also a distinguished artist at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, where she coaches and performs with elite young string players and internationally renowned guest artists. Her performance of Dumka by Rebecca Clarke, alongside violinist Amy Moretti and violist Ettore Causa, resonated deeply with national audiences and was featured multiple times on Performance Today, hosted by Valerie Kahler, in response to its exceptional popularity.
Prior to joining Mercer University, Dr. Yoo served for nine years as Artist Collaborator at the Rice University Shepherd School of Music, where she was a central musical presence in the school’s performance and pedagogical life. She collaborated extensively with distinguished musicians and pedagogues including Leone Buyse, Paul Kantor, Richie Hawley, and Stephen King, performing regularly in master classes and recitals. Under her mentorship, students achieved notable competition successes, secured professional orchestral positions, and gained admission to leading institutions such as The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Colburn School, Peabody Institute, New England Conservatory, and Eastman School of Music.
Her performances and interviews were also featured on The Front Row on KUHF Houston Public Radio, where she collaborated with flutists Jean Ferrandis and Sergio Pallottelli. Throughout her career, she has performed with many eminent artists, including Ralph Kirshbaum, Steve Doane, Tim Eddy, James Ehnes, Dimitri Murrath, Astrid Schween, Barbara Butler, Jean Ferrandis, Benjamin Kamins, Leone Buyse, and Richie Hawley.
One of Dr. Yoo’s most formative and memorable artistic experiences began at the Mannes College of Music, where she had the rare privilege of studying with the legendary pianist Leon Pommers, renowned for his exclusive collaboration with violinist Nathan Milstein. At Mannes, Dr. Yoo earned the Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies Certificate in Piano Performance. It was under Mr. Pommers’ mentorship that she was first introduced to the profound artistry, discipline, and depth of collaborative performance—an experience that would decisively shape her musical identity and guide the course of her career.
Dr. Yoo began her professional career at the Manhattan School of Music, where she earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano under the tutelage of Heasook Rhee, while also serving as a staff pianist and vocal coach. As a collaborative pianist, she appeared with organizations such as the New York Composers Circle, the Joy in Singing Art Song Competition, New Triad for Collaborative Arts, and the Korea Music Foundation, presenting debut recitals and annual concerts at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall. She was featured in Classical Singer, and her performances were broadcast on New York City’s WQXR.
Equally at home in instrumental and vocal repertoire, Dr. Yoo appeared in the world premiere of Tom Cipullo’s song cycle A Visit with Emily and was invited to perform the work again the following year. She was also one of five pianists selected for the prestigious Art Song Festival at Baldwin Wallace University, where she worked closely with acclaimed collaborative pianist Warren Jones. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, she has premiered numerous works for piano and chamber ensembles, including Requiem for the Living by Elliot Levine and Óyeme con los ojos by Allison Sniffin. Composer Eugene McBride, composer-in-residence with the New York Composers Circle, has written several piano solo and chamber works specifically for her.
Dr. Yoo has served as a staff accompanist at the Summit Music Festival and Quartet Program and was invited as a full-scholarship pianist to the Music Academy of the West, where she worked intensively with Anne Epperson and Jonathan Feldman over two summers. Following her appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, she continued her collaborative work at Oberlin Conservatory. She also served on the faculty of the Heifetz International Music Institute for five years and joined the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2014 as a collaborative pianist and performance coach. In 2026, she will appear as a guest faculty member at the Collaborative Piano Institute.
