Young-Ah Tak
Biography Young-Ah Tak
Young-Ah Tak
Praised for her “thrilling blend of fury and finesse” (San Antonio Express-News) and her “winning combination of passion, imagination, and integrity” (New York Concert Review), pianist YOUNG-AH TAK enjoys a remarkable career that has taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea, and Japan.
Ms. Tak’s season 2018-19 includes her debut performance at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society with the Marinus Ensemble, and solo and chamber music recitals in Sacramento, Lakeland (FL), New York, Philadelphia, and Seoul. Young-Ah Tak made her New York City debut at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra. She has since appeared with numerous orchestras including the Roanoke, Lansing, North Arkansas, Imperial, Venice, NEC, Crane, Filharmonia Pomorska (Poland), Oltenia Philharmonic (Romania) and, in her native Korea, with the Seongnam, Busan, Ulsan, KNN philharmonic orchestra, and the Korean Symphony Orchestra. Other notable performances by Ms. Tak have taken place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater in Philadelphia, Seoul Arts Center, Jordan Hall in Boston, Columbia University, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Ravinia Festival, Music@Menlo, and Michigan State University’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts. She has also appeared at major concert halls and international music festivals in Korea, including those of Busan, Seoul, and Tongyeong. Her performances have been broadcast on WQXR (New York City), WMFT and LOOP (Chicago), WBJC (Baltimore), WCLV (Cleveland), CKWR (Ontario), and Korea’s KBS and Arte TV.
Active as a chamber musician, Young-Ah Tak has collaborated with violinist Robert Mann, cellist Bonnie Hampton, the Ma’alot Quintet, and members of The Florestan Trio. She is also a passionate advocate of contemporary music; she has performed at Sequenza 21 and at the Piano Century concert series in New York City. Ms. Tak has been awarded top prizes in numerous international competitions including: San Antonio International Piano Competition (also receiving the “Best Performance of a Classical Work” award), Italy’s Valsesia-Musica International Piano Competition, Korea’s Isang Yun International Music Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Missouri Southern International Piano Competition, Corpus Christi International Competition, and Germany’s Ettlingen International Piano Competition.
Ms. Tak received her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School; her Master of Music and Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory; and Doctor of Musical Arts from The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She studied principally with Leon Fleisher, Russell Sherman, Wha Kyung Byun, Martin Canin, and Yong Hi Moon. She was a faculty member at the Preparatory Division of The Peabody Institute and Eastern University (PA). Ms. Tak currently serves as an Associate Professor of Piano and Head of the Piano Area at the Crane School of Music of the State University of New York at Potsdam, and is an Artist-in-Residence at Southeastern University in Florida. She also serves as the Artistic Director of the Crane International Piano Festival.
Young-Ah Tak’s debut recording of Judith Zaimont’s Wizards – Three Magic Masters was released by Albany Records to critical acclaim. Her solo CD - an album of Haydn, Schumann, Liszt and Kirchner - is available on MSR Classics. She recently recorded for Steinway’s Spirio catalogue, becoming a Spirio Recording Artist. In fall 2019, Ms. Tak’s CD recording of works by Beethoven will be released on the Steinway Label. Ms. Tak is a Steinway Artist.
