Dr. Ara Koh is an Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Area at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), where she has been a faculty member since 2013. Her responsibilities include teaching applied piano lessons and keyboard skills, coordinating the piano seminar, and serving as the accompanist for the Cardinal Chorale.
An accomplished soloist and collaborative pianist, Dr. Koh has performed in prestigious venues worldwide, including the Taipei National Arts Center (Taiwan), Sejong Arts Center and Gyeonggi Arts Center (South Korea), Conservatoire Frédéric Chopin (France), and the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (San Antonio, Texas). She is also a frequent performer in contemporary music concerts and composer showcases, regularly appearing in events hosted by the Composers Alliance of San Antonio (CASA).
As an active collaborative artist, she has been invited to perform at numerous state and national conferences, including those organized by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the College Music Society (CMS), and the National Association of Composers. During her academic career, she earned multiple awards and scholarships, such as the CSULB Fine Arts Scholarship, the Aspen Music Festival Scholarship, and recognition at the PSU Graduate Research Exhibition. She also won first place in both the Solo Competition and Piano Ensemble Festival hosted by the Music Teachers' Association of California.
Highly regarded as an adjudicator, Dr. Koh frequently serves on juries for local, state, and national competitions. Her students have achieved top honors in various competitions, including the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas International Competition, KPAC Performance Competition, Tuesday Musical Club Young Artist Competition, and other regional and local events.
In addition to her academic and performance commitments, Dr. Koh is a staff pianist at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church and maintains an active private studio in the Stone Oak area. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Penn State University, a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Music from California State University, Long Beach.
- California State of University of Long Bach (BM)
- New England Conservatory of Music (MM)
- Pennsylvania State University (DMA)
Taught Class Piano, Keyboard Skills, Applied Piano Lesson and Chamber Coaching at Penn State University. Teaching Class Piano, Keyboard Skills, Music Theory (Intro Aural Skills) and Applied Piano Lesson at UIW.
- Staff Accompanist at Cerritos College
- Staff Accompanist at Pennsylvania State Korean Catholic Church
- Teaching Assistant at Penn State
- Piano Faculty/ Collaborative Pianist at UIW
- Staff Accompanist at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- Collaborative Pianist at Opera San Antonio
- Collaborative Pianist at San Antonio Chamber Choir
- Active Adjudicators for TMTA State Performance Contests
- Solo Recital at Gyonggi Art Center in Korea
- Piano Duo Recital at Taiwan National Art Center in Taiwan
- Piano Duo Recital at Sejong Art Center Recital in Korea
- Piano Duo Recital at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien in Austria
- Chamber Recital at Conservatoire Frédéric Chopin in France
- Piano Recital at An Die Music in Baltimore
- Piano Duo Recital at Steinway Gallery in San Antonio
- Chamber Recitals and Faculty Research Performances at UIW in San Antonio
- Chamber Recitals and CASA Concerts at Trinity University in San Antonio
- Chamber Recital and Lecture Recital at St. Mary University
- Opera Gala Performance, San Antonio Chamber Choir Concert at Tobin Center in San Antonio
- Song Consortia Conference at UIW
- Texas Music Educators Association
- Music Teachers National Association
- College Music Society
Hobbies: Cooking Korean foods
Interests: Traveling/ New Music (Contemporary Music)/ Painting
- Winner of CSULB Concerto Competition
- CSULB Fine Art Scholarship
- Scott Handerson Scholarship
- Penn State Graduate Research Performance Award
- MTAC Solo Competition Winner
- MTAC Piano Duo Competition Winner
- Invited to perform at World Piano Pedagogy Festival
- Invited to perform at the National Conference of the Society of Composers
- Invited to perform at College Music Society Voice/Piano (2021 South Central Regional Conference)
- Invited to perform at College Music Society Cello/ Piano (2021 South Central Regional Conference)
- Invited to perform at Music By Women Festival
Ara Koh's students won numerous national and international competitions including Tuesday Musical Club piano competition, Annual International Chopin Piano Competition and KPAC Performance Competitions.
- Accompanying Senior Graduate Recitals at UIW
- Adjudicator for local music competitions
- Accompanying Faculty Recitals and Recordings at UIW
- Accompanying Incoming Students Auditions at UIW
- Accompanying Scholarship Auditions at UIW
- Participated at several fundraising concerts including Prométhée Humanitaire Association
- Several Performances at The Village at Incarnate Word Senior Living Community
- Coaching and Participating at CASA ( Composers Alliance of San Antonio)
- Class Piano
- Keyboard Skills 1 and 2
- Applied Piano Lessons
- Intro Aural Skills
- Piano Proficiency Review