Penn State Piano

09/01/2026

Happy times welcoming the new academic year with the Penn State piano area! Gorgeous weather + pizza 👌

08/27/2026

Summer student highlights continued!☀:

DMA students Xiang Su and Yucheng Xu performed a joint recital at the Steinway Hall in Guangzhou, China. Their program featured solo repertoire by Fauré, Hindemith, and Schumann, and a fun duet encore of Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre. They were excited to share their music with the warm audience and felt grateful to reconnect with their friends and former teachers.

🎉Catch Xiang and Charles Lisa at the Director's Distinguished Performer's Award Recital this Friday at 7:30 pm!
# Penn State School of Music

08/24/2026

What has everyone been up to this summer? ☀️

STUDENT SUMMER HIGHLIGHT: Charles Lisa

Charles had a busy summer performing gospel, jazz, and chamber music! He spent 10 days with the Elevate Choir at the Elevate Summer Vocal Arts Summer Institute in Bethany Beach, followed by two weeks at the Lawrence Chamber Music Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he performed chamber music and collaborated with artists from the Mile of Music Festival.

Welcome back, everyone! 🎹

08/19/2026

No better way to celebrate the end of the summer than to send off our summer graduates! Pictured here are Drs. Hyeonjeong Gong and Ivan Yumagulov with their advisor, Dr. Quah. Ivan will be joining the faculty at Mars Hill University, NC, and North Greenville University, SC, as adjunct music faculty, and Hyeonjeong will be welcoming baby no. 2 this fall. A big congratulations to both!!!

08/08/2026

05/07/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Melody Quah!

05/03/2026

We heard some OUTSTANDING piano playing across a run of recitals over the past two weeks. Congratulations to Yucheng Xu, Bohan Wu, Jing Shi, Yirui Ma, Liuxuanfang Li, Xiang Su, and Wanli Wang—your hard work clearly shone through!
Now, good luck to everyone for juries next week!

04/28/2026

Assistant Professor of Piano Katherine Benson is featured on "Faces & Masques," a new album with the Paramount Chamber Players, that will release on April 28 alongside a Tennessee tour with violinist William Shaub.

04/28/2026

Congrats to the Contemporary Music Ensemble, director Kevin Sims, and all the performers for such a cool, collaborative concert at the Palmer Museum last week at Penn State! Pianist Yanjun Huang, DMA student from Dr. Tim Shafer’s studio, was a powerful presence in the Rzewski. It was a special evening of poetry, visual art, and music!

04/27/2026

Congratulations to the newly minted Drs. Hyeonjeong Gong and Ivan Yumagulov on your successful self-prepared Final DMA Solo Recitals! Thank you for your sensitive and commanding music-making!