Jung Eun Byun & Lina Yoo Min Lee

Mead Witter School of Music Guest Artist Series. Free.

media release: Jung-Eun Byun, piano; Lina Yoo Min Lee, piano.

Program 

Peer Gynt, Op. 23  Edvard Hanerup Grieg (1843-1907)

I. Morning Mood

II. The Death of Ase

III. Anitra’s Dance

IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King

Hungarian Dances (1-2, 4-6)   Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Intermission

Petite Suite      Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

I. En Bateau

II. Cortège

III. Menuet

IV. Ballet

Fantasie in F minor       Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

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Jung-Eun Byun is an outstanding Korean pianist. She received her DMA degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and her master’s degree and Graduate diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music. She graduated from Seoul National University with a bachelor’s degree. In her native country, Ms. Byun was the recipient of many awards, including a top prize in the Musica di Pianoforte Competition. As a soloist with orchestra, she has performed with the Seoul National University Symphony as the winner of its concerto competition, as well as with the Seoul Art Symphony and the Seoul Academy Symphony.

Ms. Byun has appeared as a recitalist at Jordan Hall and Williams Hall in Boston, and she was a featured guest artist in the Boston French Library Recital Series. She has also been featured in the Promising Young Artist Series and the Pan Music Festival in Seoul. In New York, she has performed several times at the Staller Center and Steinway Hall. In 2001, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as a winner of the Artists International Audition. Ms. Byun was invited as a soloist by the New England Symphonic Ensemble and performed at Carnegie Hall in 2007. She also played with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the Toronto Art Center.

In addition to her performing career, she is a well-known piano teacher at the Seoul Art Center Gifted Music Academy and various other music schools. Many big international music competition winners are her students as well. She was formerly a faculty member of Seoul National University and E-wha Women’s University. Currently, Ms. Byun is a professor at Dan-kook University and serves as the music director of Win Art Hall in Seoul.

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Lina Yoo Min Lee, DMA, is a highly accomplished pianist and dedicated educator. Her expressive and insightful style has captivated audiences both in the United States and internationally. A recent highlight of her career was a highly acclaimed piano solo recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she showcased her exquisite interpretation and powerful pianistic virtuosity in a diverse program featuring works by female composers. Her album “Memories” has also received well-deserved recognition, including positive reviews from New York Concert Reviews and featured streams on WORT 89.9FM. It has even been highlighted by Korean Major News, MBN.

Alongside her solo career, Lee currently serves as the principal keyboardist for the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and has collaborated extensively with renowned singers and instrumentalists, performing a wide range of chamber works from historical to contemporary repertoire. She is passionate about community engagement, arts outreach, and advocating for underrepresented and marginalized composers. In pursuit of these goals, Lee founded and serves as the Artistic Director of the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Festival in Madison, Wisconsin. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with musicians and other artists, she programs and directs multi-disciplinary events that engage and inspire her community. Lee is also committed to providing high-quality music education and performance opportunities to underrepresented communities and children with disabilities. Her outstanding leadership and efforts in these areas have been acknowledged and supported by members of the U.S. Congress, including Michelle Steel.

With regards to her teaching experience, Lee has served on the piano faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and held the position of Chair of the Madison Area Music Educator. Previously, she taught students at the Peabody Preparatory School of the Johns Hopkins University through the piano pedagogy program.