Rate My Professor Young-Ah Tak

Young-Ah Tak is an Associate Professor of Piano and Head of the Piano Area at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York College at Potsdam. She earned a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, a Master of Music and Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where she studied principally with Martin Canin, Yong Hi Moon, Leon Fleisher, Russell Sherman, Wha Kyung Byun, and Young Ho Kim. Prior to her appointment at SUNY Potsdam, Tak served on the faculty of the Preparatory Division of The Peabody Institute, Southeastern University in Florida, and Eastern University in Pennsylvania, where she founded the Eastern University Piano Festival. She is the Founding Artistic Director of the Crane International Piano Festival at SUNY Potsdam and is recognized as a Steinway Artist.

Praised for her 'thrilling blend of fury and finesse' by the San Antonio Express-News and her 'winning combination of passion, imagination, and integrity' by the New York Concert Review, Young-Ah Tak enjoys an international performing career across the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea, and Japan. She made her New York City debut as soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and has since performed with orchestras including the Roanoke, Lansing, North Arkansas, Imperial, Filharmonia Pomorska in Poland, Oltenia Philharmonic in Romania, and Korean ensembles such as the Seongnam, Busan, Ulsan, and Korean Symphony Orchestras. Her appearances include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater, Seoul Arts Center, Jordan Hall, Columbia University, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, Ravinia Festival, and Music@Menlo, with broadcasts on WQXR, WRTI, WMFT, LOOP, WBJC, WCLV, CKWR, KBS, and Arte TV. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with violinist Robert Mann, cellist Bonnie Hampton, the Ma'alot Quintet, and members of The Florestan Trio. Tak advocates contemporary music through performances at Sequenza 21 and the Piano Century series. Her key recordings include Judith Zaimont's Wizards: Three Magic Masters on Albany Records, a solo album of Haydn, Schumann, Liszt, and Kirchner on MSR Classics, an all-Beethoven sonatas program on Steinway & Sons in 2019, and Schubert Piano Sonatas D 784 and D 894 on Steinway & Sons in 2024. She has received top prizes from the San Antonio International Piano Competition, Valsesia-Musica International Piano Competition in Italy, Isang Yun International Music Competition in Korea, Corpus Christi International Competition, and Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany.