Education
Minji attended Seoul National University and earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, studying with Hie-Yon Choi, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, graduating first in her class. She earned Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance and Chamber Music Performance and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Christopher Harding. She also completed a Certificate in Arts Leadership and Entrepreneurship.
An avid researcher, Minji gave a lecture recital on Steven Stucky’s Piano Sonata (2014) as a part of her Dissertation Recitals, exploring connections to the medieval technique of Isorhythmic Motets and the harmonic influence of Witold Lutoslawski. She is also part of the research project UARTS Faculty Engineering/Arts Student Team (FEAST) “Korean Art Song: Making Gagok Accessible for English Speakers”. The purpose of the project is to build a database, making Korean art songs more accessible to English speakers with translations and phonetics available to aid singers in their study for performance. She is not only a member of the research team but also was a collaborative pianist for the project’s first concert, “Korean Art Song Recital at the University of Michigan Museum of Art” in September 2022, where she performed a variety of Korean Art Songs that are now in the newly published database.
As a Performer
Minji has appeared as a soloist with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and has presented solo recitals on the Crystal Valley Concert Series in Indiana and the Music for Meditation Series at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Michigan. Her performances have taken her to venues including Hill Auditorium and the Detroit Steinway Gallery. She received first prizes in the Chung-Ang University Competition and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Competition and was a finalist in the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Competition and the Beardsley Piano Prize Competition.
Minji is the pianist of Duo Sori, her long-standing collaboration with clarinetist Nick Thompson. The ensemble won the 2025 American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music in the professional chamber ensemble division and received second prize at the 2024 Lancaster International Chamber Music Competition. Duo Sori has performed throughout the United States and South Korea, including appearances at the Hansong Summer Music Festival and ClarinetFest. In 2026, the duo appeared at ClarinetFest in Incheon, South Korea, presenting two newly commissioned works for clarinet and piano. Duo Sori will be featured in the Levine Presents concert series in January 2027.
Minji was also a founding member of CASM (Chamber Artists of Southeast Michigan) and has collaborated extensively with instrumentalists and vocalists in chamber and contemporary repertoire.
As a Teacher
Minji teaches private and group piano and has worked with students of varying ages and experience levels. Before joining Levine, she taught private and group piano at the University of Michigan as a Graduate Student Instructor and served as a Teaching Artist for the Michigan Artist Citizens/Our Own Thing Piano Program, providing inclusive and culturally relevant piano instruction to young musicians in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She holds a secondary school music teaching qualification from South Korea.
Her teaching encourages students to engage with music through performance, imagination, historical context, and connections across artistic disciplines.
Drawing on her backgrounds in piano performance and art history, Minji develops lecture-recitals, workshops, and educational programs exploring connections between music and visual art. Her programs have examined topics including Impressionism, the arabesque across artistic traditions, and Modernism, combining visual art, musical examples, discussion, and live performance. She has presented lectures and workshops for pre-college students, adult audiences, university students, and music educators at Levine, the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, and chapters of the Music Teachers National Association.
Minji’s doctoral lecture-recital at the University of Michigan examined Steven Stucky’s Piano Sonata (2014), including the composer’s use of isorhythmic techniques and the influence of Witold Lutosławski. She also contributed as a researcher and collaborative pianist to the University of Michigan project Korean Art Song: Making Gagok Accessible for English Speakers, which created translations and phonetic resources for performers of Korean art song.
At Levine
Minji joined Levine’s piano faculty in 2023.
More About Minji
Outside of music, Minji enjoys all kinds of cultural activities, especially reading, watching movies, traveling to new places, drinking great tea, and going to museums.