The Music Directors
Karen Kim
Karen Kim is a teacher based in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a teacher, Karen has been featured in the magazine “American Music Teacher” for outstanding teaching and studio development. She is passionate about research and teaching materials, and she has reviewed upcoming pedagogical publications for music teachers nationally and abroad. Her students have been winners of numerous competitions. Karen has been invited to teach and perform in numerous pre-colleges and venues in Asia, including the cities of Seoul, Chengdu, Chongqing, Taishan, and Beijing.
In 2020, Karen was awarded the prestigious Mary Sue Harris Teacher Fellowship award by Music Teachers National Association, the highest level of recognition a developing piano teacher can receive. Karen directs her studio “Musical Moments” with her husband, Korean pianist Jaesung Kim. She serves on the board of Chamber music Cincinnati and serves as the Ohio representative for the Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM).
Jaesung Kim
South Korean pianist Jaesung Kim completed his doctoral degree at College-Conservatory of Music in piano perofrmance. Dr. Kim studied at Yonsei University (Becholar of Music), and received his Master of Music degree from Cleveland Institute of Music. Dr, Kim received numerous prizes and awards including the first prize in the 40th Kankakee Symphony Orchestra competition, the 2nd prize in Chopin competition by Northwest Chopin foundation in Seattle, 2nd prize in American Protégé International Piano competition, followed by the winners recital at Carnegie hall, and the UC-CCM piano concerto competition allowing him to perform with the CCM Concert Orchestra. As a teacher, Mr. Kim has many years’ experience working with students of all ages. Since 2001, his years as an undergraduate, Mr. Kim has been committed to inspiring young students to play the piano and to understand and appreciate music. Operating his own private teaching studio, Musical Moments, since 2018, he prepared students for recitals, performance events, auditions, and competitions while nurturing their love of music. Numerous students of Mr. Kim showed excellence and achieved the first honor with distinction in RCM and ABRSM exams, and winning competitions.
Faculty
Cathy Chiu holds both Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in violin performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She frequently performs with local ensembles, and since moving to Cincinnati in 2022, Ms. Chiu has been a member of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra of Indianapolis, the Queen City Opera Orchestra, and an acting member of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Chiu has a strong background in and passion for violin teaching. As teaching assistant at John Hopkins she has taught a variety of student levels, and several of her students have since been accepted into local and competitive youth orchestras.
Pianist Mrs. Kristi Zhou is born in China. She received her Bachelors of Arts degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, one of the most prestigious conservatory in China and her Masters of Music from Boston University School of Music.
She has a wealth of experience teaching piano, music theory, music history and appreciation to students of all ages and ability levels. She started giving private piano lessons since college. She has also taught in classroom settings from kindergarten through high school and taught Western music history and AP Music Theory for college preparatory students. Additionally, she has worked with students on choral rehearsals and performances, musical theatre productions, school musical shows along with a variety of other activities.
She is passionate about instilling a love of music to students of all ages and setting a solid foundation in their music education. She believes in developing the whole musician including ear-training, sight-reading, improvisation, composition, theory and creativity as well as superb technical abilities. To see the musical knowledge and appreciation accompany her students for all their lives gives her the ultimate joy and satisfaction as a piano teacher.