Soojin Jin

Pianist Soojin Jin has drawn international attention for her sensitive touch, technical command, and astounding versatility.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Soojin began piano lessons at the age of three. By the age of seven she had won her first national competition and performed a debut recital. Since then she has continued to win awards in major national and international competitions, among them the Seoul National Piano Competition in Korea, the American Protégé International Piano Competition, and the Metropolitan International Music Competition.

Her performances as a soloist have spanned major venues throughout the world, including those in Korea, Indonesia, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy. She has appeared as soloist with the University of Michigan Philharmonic Orchestra under Robert Boardman, the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra under Uri Segal, and the University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra under David Neely. Recent concerts include Carnegie Hall, the Kauffman Center, the Lied Center, and the Basilica di San Pietro in Italy.

An advocate of new music, Soojin has worked with many prominent living composers, among them William Bolcom, Don Freund, and Emile Naoumoff. She displays a particular interest in Naoumoff’s compositions. Her doctoral document, “Perfume of the Soul: Compositional Influences of Emile Naoumoff”, examines four periods of Naoumoff’s compositional life, with analysis of representative pieces from each. She is currently recording a new CD of his compositions.

Soojin holds a Doctor of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Kansas, under the mentorship of Steven Spooner. During her doctoral studies she held a Teaching Assistant position in the Piano Department, served on the Student Council for the Piano Department, and was director and faculty in the University of Kansas Community Music School. She earned her Master of Music at Indiana University with Emile Naoumoff, while serving on the faculty as an assistant instructor at the Young Pianists Institute, a pre-college piano program at Indiana University. She received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Logan Skelton.

Soojin recently served as Assistant Visiting Professor at the University of Kansas, teaching graduate and undergraduate piano lessons. She is currently artistic director and faculty at the Piano Academy of Kansas City.