Distinguished pianist Jeonwong Ham will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 15, in Reynolds Recital Hall as part of Northern Michigan University's Siril Concert Series. In addition to her concert performance, Ham will offer a free piano technique workshop for piano teachers and practitioners, and two free piano masterclasses for NMU students and community members.
The technique workshop will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the Thomas Fine Arts piano lab, TFA 117. The masterclass for students is from 1-2 p.m. Friday, March 15. Another for community members will follow from 3-4 p.m. Both will be held in Reynolds Recital Hall.
Having performed as a soloist, chamber musician and master teacher abroad and in the States, Ham has made appearances at music festivals and conventions like the World Piano Conference in Serbia and the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. Her recent appearances include master classes and recitals in California, Germany and China, and serving as a judge at the Music Teachers National Association National Piano Competition in Washington.
Currently a practicing professor of piano at the University of Oklahoma, Ham has abundant experience as a global piano teacher, having held educational positions at the university level in the United States, Asia and Europe. Students who study under Ham go on to become winners of national and international piano competitions, and hold teaching positions at esteemed universities.
Ham herself is a decorated winner of various piano competitions (the Epinal International Piano Competition, the Paul Hindemith Piano Competition, and the Simone Belsky Piano Competition, among others) and has received numerous honors and grants, such as a feature in the “40 faces-40 years” exhibition at Potsdam-Babelsberg in Germany, the nation in which Ham studied to kick-start her career.
As part of the Siril Concert Series, Ham joins Northern's longstanding tradition of bolstering student and community engagement with culturally diverse music. The Siril Endowment for the Musical Arts is designed to establish and maintain a visiting artist program that challenges notions about music, broadening student perspectives and challenging their expectations through a medium that defies cultural and linguistic constraints.
Concert admission is free for Northern students and youth 18 and under; general admission is $12. Visit tickets.nmu.edu to reserve a seat at this event. For more information, visit nmu.edu/music/siril-concert-series.