Bio
Lauded by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her interpretive coherence and graceful realization, pianist Esther Jeehae Ahn has captivated international audiences with her rare blend of musical brilliance, sensitivity, and emotional depth.
As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in major venues, series and festivals throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, among them Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Flynn Performing Arts Center, Jordan Hall, Calderwood Hall at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Mozart Hall, Moscow Conservatory, University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Busan Music Festival, Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice, International Liszt Symposium, Korean-American Cultural Foundation, MusicFest Canada, and American Liszt Festival.
Esther earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from Eastman School of Music, with a minor degree in Accompanying and Chamber Music. She won numerous prizes and awards, including first prizes in Junior Chopin Competition, Harvard Musical Association Competition, Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Busan Music Festival Competition, Ye-Eum Piano Festival, Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Frances B. Lanier Award from New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, and Arnold C. Taylor Award from Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she graduated summa cum laude and was inducted to the National Society of High School Scholars. She was a guest artist at the South Korean launch of Steinway & Sons, the Ministry of National Defense in South Korea, and at the US-Korea Conference in New York. Her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s From the Top and WSMR Classical.
Equally at home with the traditional canon and music of our own time, Esther’s advocacy of new music has led to working closely with such distinguished composers as Peter Maxwell Davies, Unsuk Chin, Rodney Lister, and Rand Steiger, and concertizing contemporary works, among them John Cage’s Music of Changes, George Crumb’s Makrokosmos, Jeff Tyzik’s Images, John Harbison’s Piano Quintet, Steve Reich’s Double Sextet. She gave the world premiere of Amy Dunker’s solo works written for the courageous people of Ukraine. In recent seasons, Esther has been invited to appear as a guest artist with the American Liszt Society, NOVA Chamber Music Series, Bonneville Chamber Music Festival, Korean American Federation of Utah, Ogden Piano Festival Cultural Extravaganza, Browning Trio, and at two special gala celebrations for Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Additionally, she can be heard as a collaborative pianist on the recording
of Thom Priest’s original composition for Bassoon and Piano, “Running the Green." The 2023-2024 season includes concerts throughout the state of Utah, including Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 5 in March 2024, recitals in Mississippi, Virginia, and North Carolina, gala performances at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts and a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean-American Alliance, and a recording project and recital tour with tenor Michael Gonzalez.
As an artist-teacher, her passion lies in nurturing individual expression, human compassion, and unique talents from all walks of life. Esther currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Weber State University, where she is also the Director of WSU Piano Festival and Accompanying area. Additionally, she held the role of Program Assistant at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival at USF Tampa for two seasons and was a faculty-mentor at Bravo Waukegan. A sought-after adjudicator and clinician, she is also Chair of the MTNA Piano Performance Competition and is Chair of the Collegiate Program for the State of Utah. She previously taught at New England Conservatory and Eastman School of Music and served on the piano faculty at Clarke University.