BIOGRAPHY

Pianist Dr. Cha Young Park has distinguished herself as an artist of expressive depth, refined musical intelligence, and generous pedagogical spirit. Praised by her teacher and mentor Emile Naoumoff—the last student of Nadia Boulanger—for possessing a “solar charisma [that] touches souls and minds alike,” Dr. Park brings to the concert stage a rare combination of technical command, emotional immediacy, and poetic sensitivity.

Dr. Park has appeared in solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States and Asia, performing a broad range of repertoire with a particular affinity for works that demand both structural clarity and a deeply personal musical voice. She has made solo appearances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Steinway Hall in New York City, marking important milestones in a performing career shaped by artistic integrity, discipline, and an enduring devotion to the piano.

Born in South Korea, Dr. Park immigrated to the United States in 1997 and continued her musical studies with distinction. She went on to receive awards in national and international competitions and earned recognition for both her artistry and academic excellence. She attended Butler University on a full scholarship, receiving her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2008. During her studies at Butler, she was the recipient of the Jordan College of Fine Arts Audition Award and the Pi Kappa Lambda Scholarship, and she won first prize in the Jordan College of Fine Arts Concerto Competition.

In 2011, Dr. Park received the Artistic Excellence Award, a full scholarship from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she completed her Master of Music in Piano Performance in 2013. She later earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from The Catholic University of America in 2021. Her principal teachers include Dr. Steve Roberson, Emile Naoumoff, Arnaldo Cohen, Dr. Kate Boyd, and Andrew Russo.

In addition to her work as a performer, Dr. Park is a highly regarded educator with more than twenty years of teaching experience. She has taught students of varying ages and levels, guiding them through a wide range of repertoire while cultivating discipline, musical independence, technical fluency, and artistic confidence. Fluent in both English and Korean, she brings cultural sensitivity, clarity, and warmth to her teaching.

Dr. Park previously held a piano faculty position in the Pre-College Young Pianist Program at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she also maintained a private studio. She has taught group piano, coached chamber music, and led seminars at the Butler University Summer Piano Camp and the Levine Music and Arts Camp. Her students have participated in summer music festivals, competitions, judged recitals, and solo performances, and many have continued to develop into thoughtful, dedicated young musicians.

Dr. Park has also served on the piano faculty of The Potomac School and Levine Music in Washington, DC. She currently maintains Dr. Cha Park Piano Studio, an active private studio in the Pimmit Hills area of Falls Church, Virginia, where she works with students in a dedicated space for instruction, rehearsal, and recording. Her studio reflects her belief that serious musical training should be both rigorous and deeply humane, combining high artistic standards with mentorship, structure, and care.

An active member of the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association and the Washington DC Music Teachers Association, Dr. Park is frequently invited to serve as an adjudicator for festivals, competitions, and student events. She is also engaged with digital platforms as a means of sharing classical music, pedagogy, and artistic life with broader audiences through her YouTube channel and social media presence.

Dr. Park may be found online at @chayoungpark and @chaparkpianostudio.