JASON KWAK
South Korean pianist Jason Kwak has already enjoyed a successful career, both as an artist and as a pedagogue. He has earned his degrees in Piano Performance from Eastman School of Music and The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Kwak is currently a Professor of Piano and Keyboard Area Coordinator at Texas State University. Prior to Texas State, Dr. Kwak was head of keyboards at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He is consistently in high demand for performances, masterclasses, lectures, and adjudications on a state, national, and international level.
Dr. Kwak has made numerous national and international appearances with orchestras including performances with the Victoria Symphony, Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra, Amherst Symphony Orchestra and the Round Rock Symphony. Recent international engagements have taken Dr. Kwak all over the world with performances in 20 different countries.
An avid chamber musician, Dr. Kwak, along with Dr. Ian Davidson and Professor Daris Hale, formed ‘Trio 488’. Together, Trio 488 has performed in numerous venues all over the world throughout five different continents. Trio 488 recently released their first album titled ‘488 Around the World’.
Dr. Kwak has been recognized numerous times for his teachings. Most notably, in 2011, he was the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching from Texas State University. In 2004, Dr. Kwak received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Dr. Kwak’s students garnered several recognitions in competitions at the regional, national and international level. Furthermore, several former students now hold positions at various universities in the US. A sought-after pedagogue, Dr. Kwak has been on faculty at several prestigious summer music festivals. In 2010, Dr. Kwak co-founded the Texas State International Piano Festival. In 2020, Dr. Kwak will once again serve as Director of TSIPF’s 11th season.
