Hyeji Seo

Biography

Dr. Hyeji Seo is an accomplished pianist, collaborative/chamber musician, and educator. She has enjoyed performing and presenting lectures internationally and working with diverse groups of students in various musical settings. Her performances span a diverse range of musical genres and styles. Her musical journey has taken her to prestigious venues across the United States, Europe, and Korea.

In 2016, Dr. Seo made her debut at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York, setting the stage for a prolific career. Her performances have graced stages across continents, including the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium, where she was invited as the first-place winner of the International Music Competition 'Brussels' Grand Prize Virtuoso. She has also been a featured guest artist at events such as the Gala Concert at the Kimmel Art Center in Philadelphia, the Triumph Music Festival, and the EOULIM Concert Series at the Cheongju Art Center in Korea.

Throughout her career, Dr. Seo has won prizes in several international competitions, including the Ise-Shima International Piano Competition in Japan, the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in the USA, and the American Protégé International Piano and String Competition, among others. She has performed in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Weill Hall, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Jacopone da Todi Hall, Kimmel Art Center, Kumho Art Center, Youngsan Art Hall, and Cheongju Art Center, among others.

As a concerto competition winner, Dr. Seo has performed with orchestras, including Seoul National University, Sookmyung Women’s University, and Western Illinois University. She has also been invited to perform at events like the Piano Gala Concert for the 110th anniversary of the founding of Sookmyung Women’s University and the Young Artist Debut Concert sponsored by Music Education News in Seoul.

Beyond her performance career, Dr. Seo is a dedicated educator with a passion for teaching a diverse range of students in various settings. She has conducted guest coaching sessions in the United States and Korea and has served as an adjudicator at the MTNA Colorado Piano Competition. Her teaching experience spans institutions like Colorado State University, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Michigan State University, Western Illinois University, St. Pius X School, and Expressions Music Academy, Michigan. Her commitment to piano pedagogy is further demonstrated through her presentation on the research of piano pedagogy with young musicians on the autism spectrum at the MTNA Collegiate Chapters in 2018.

In addition to her performance and teaching endeavors, she is dedicated to promoting new and underrepresented music, particularly works by lesser-known composers from diverse backgrounds. Her current concert series, 'The Music We Write' focuses on music from Asian, female, and culturally diverse composers, presenting their unique identities and cultures. She also enjoys collaborating with other forms of art, such as visual and media arts, to create interdisciplinary performances.

Dr. Seo is a dynamic and sought-after pianist and chamber musician. Her extensive experience spans a wide spectrum of instrumental, vocal, choral, symphonic, chamber, and opera production, collaborating with professional musicians and guest artists alike. She has served as a collaborative pianist and coach at Michigan State University, Western Illinois University, and Centro Studi Carlo Della Giacoma Encore Series in Italy. She has also made meaningful contributions to sacred music as an organist and interim music director in various places, including St. Jude, St. Pius X, St. Andrew Kim, and St. Martha in Michigan.

Her primary piano studies were with Kyungmi Kim, Hyesoo Jeon, Tammie Walker, Zhihua Tang, and Deborah Moriarty. She has furthered her education through additional studies with Hae Sun Paik, Alan Chow, Zhe Tang, Robert Roux, Michael Lewin, Klaus Schilde, Sontraud Speidel, Aviram Reichert, and Laurent Cabasso. Her educational achievements include a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance, a master's degree in Collaborative Piano from Michigan State University, and bachelor's and master's degrees from Sookmyung Women’s University and Western Illinois University, respectively. During her studies, she has been fully supported by the Graduate Assistantship, Ralph Votapek Scholarship, and Dixon Collaborative Pianist Award.

In 2018, Dr. Seo joined the faculty at Colorado State University as an instructor of collaborative piano, where she continues to share her love for music and performance with students and audiences alike. Her dedication to music education and her passion for the piano remains at the core of her artistic journey.