Pianist Hyeyoung Song, the first prize winner of the Janice K. Hodges Piano Competition, is an active performer of both solo and chamber music repertoire, noted for her warm and beautiful tone, tireless energy, and great musical temperament. Since she fell in love with the piano at seven, her musical talent has been highly recognized by receiving numerous awards and scholarships. As a freshman at Ewha Woman’s University, Song won first prize in the Concerto Competition, which resulted in a performance with the University Symphony Orchestra. After she got her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Ewha Woman’s University with the highest honors in performance, Song moved to the United States to further her piano studies. She received an Artist Diploma in Piano Performance from Texas Christian University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where she served as a Teaching Assistant. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has studied or been coached with renowned artists and pedagogues, including Gregory Allen, Elliot Antokoletz, Jose Mendez, Harold Martina, Tamas Ungar, Mijai Youn, Anne Schein, Aldo Parisot, Miyoko Lotto, Philippe Bianconi, Benedetto Lupo, Krassimira Jordan, Jose Feghali, Robert Blocker and Richard Cass.
Song received the top prizes in competitions, including the Janice K. Hodges Contemporary Piano Competition, the Sydney Wright Accompanying Competition, International Chopin Piano Competition in Corpus Christi, and Ewha University Concerto Competition. Her additional honors were being a semi-finalist in the National Young Artist Competition and the New York Concert Artists Guild International Competition. Song has presented numerous solo and chamber recitals in the United States, Europe, and Asia and has been invited to many institutions and festivals as a guest artist. Song also formed the piano duo Azul with pianist Amy Gustafson and actively performed duo recitals throughout the United States. Her most recent performances included recitals at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, American Church in Paris, Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City, First State Bank Performing Art Center, LBJ Fine Arts Auditorium, Dallas public library, Margo Jones Performance Hall in Texas Women’s University, Caldwell-Carvey Hall in Southwestern University, 3.15 Performing Arts Center and Alkek Fine Arts Center Theatre. Her various musical interests include conducting, church music, ballet music, contemporary music, women composers, as well as solo and chamber music. In 2016, Song had her international tour, which included France, Spain, and Korea, and gave a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In 2018, Song played Mozart’s piano concerto No. 23 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro John Giordano.
Song joined Weatherford College in 2007, where she is Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence. She is founder & director of the Weatherford College Chamber Music Ensemble and Weatherford College International Piano Competition. In 2019, Song was honored with the title “Master Pianist” by Weatherford College in acknowledgment of her contributions and dedication as a performer, educator, and music administrator.