Dr. David Northington is the founder of the East/West International Piano Festival. At his debut recital, the New York Times called David Northington “an immensely gifted musician…who combines the technical mastery of a virtuoso with the musical sensitivity of a poet.” Such critical accolades have followed Northington throughout the world in concerts and concerto engagements.
Jerome A. Reed is the Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Piano at Lipscomb University. He has performed extensively in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America, appearing in such venues as the Mendelssohnhaus in Leipzig, Germany; the Musikhochschule in Graz, Austria; and the Conservatoire Royale in Brussels, Belgium.
Pianist Yu Jung Park is the Administrative Director at East/West International Piano Festival. Dr. Park has performed as a soloist and a recitalist in the United States, Europe, and South Korea. As a concert pianist, she has garnered numerous awards throughout her career, including the Rising Artist Evening of Piano Concerti V series from the New York Concert Artists & Associates and American Protégé Concerto Competition.
Chia-Wei Chung is a renowned pianist and one of the most sought-after piano pedagogues in Taiwan. She earned both Master and Doctoral degrees in piano performance from Indiana University, Bloomington, where she studied with the legendary pianist Michel Block, who was granted the Rubinstein Prize in the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1970.
Dr. Rust has concertized to critical acclaim around the globe, with performances at such venues as Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, New York's Merkin Concert Hall, Rio de Janeiro's Sala Cecilia Meireles, Washington's Corcoran Gallery, Havana’s Basilica and Seoul's KNUA Hall.
Actively appearing as a soloist and chamber musician, pianist Dr. Ruixi Niu has given performances in the United States, China, Europe, and South Korea. Major occasions including Shengjing Grand Theatre of Shenyang, Poli Grand Theatre of Weihai, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shenzhen Steinway Piano Gallery, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Central Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division, and Myongji University in Korea. She is holding Doctoral of Musical Arts in piano performance at West Virginia University.
Since debuting with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at the age of fifteen, pianist Mark Tollefsen has fashioned an international career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, and Spain and as well as across the United States and East Asia.
Timothy Kwok earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Since graduation, Kwok joined The Chinese University of Hong Kong as a piano and harpsichord faculty member.
Henry Chow received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the College-Conservatory of Music, and his Master and Bachelor degrees from the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music in London. He has performed extensively in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, and is currently a faculty member of the University of West London Hong Kong Centre.
Leonard Lindweld completed Bachelor's of performing arts at Park University’s International Center for Music in Kansas City and holds a Master’s degree from University in Bergen’s Grieg Academy. His mentors has included Stanislav Ioudenitch, Einar Røttingen and Håvard Gimse. Lindweld, born in Stockholm, Sweden began to study piano at the age of six.
A native of Bulgaria, Lora Gubanov has given many successful performances in the United States and Europe. Ms. Gubanov received the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Memphis in 2016, with a full teaching assistantship.
Olivia Ellis is Associate Professor of Music at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee where she teaches piano, piano pedagogy and literature, music theory, and piano ensemble. She earned the Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Oklahoma. Olivia enjoys performing as both a soloist and collaborator and is part of the Chiara Piano Duo.
Since graduating from the Korean National University of Arts and earning masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Jae Won Kim has rapidly created a niche as a soloist and chamber musician.
A native of Taiwan, pianist Michelle Huang has performed and taught extensively throughout the U.S. as well as abroad in the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, and Taiwan. She has appeared as soloist and guest artist in numerous recitals and has given lectures, workshops, and master classes.
