Bio
Lauded by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her interpretive coherence and graceful realization, pianist Esther Jeehae Ahn has captivated international audiences with her rare blend of musical brilliance, sensitivity, and emotional depth. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in major venues, series and festivals throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, among them Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Flynn Performing Arts Center, Abravanel Hall, Jordan Hall, Calderwood Hall at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Mozart Hall, Moscow Conservatory, University of Music and Theatre Leipzig, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Busan Music Festival, Summer Institute of Contemporary Performance Practice, International Liszt Symposium, Korean-American Cultural Foundation, and MusicFest Canada.
Esther earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from Eastman School of Music, with a minor degree in Accompanying andChamber Music. Her teachers have included the late Russell Sherman, Wha Kyung Byun, Meng-Chieh Liu, Rebecca Penneys, Douglas Humpherys, Paul Biss, Gabriel Chodos, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein, and Jean Barr. She won numerous prizes and awards, including first prizes in Junior Chopin Competition, Harvard Musical Association Competition, Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Busan Music Festival Competition, Ye-Eum Piano Festival, Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award from theJack Kent Cooke Foundation, Frances B. Lanier Award from New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School, and Arnold C. TaylorAward from Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she graduated summa cum laude and was inducted to the National Society of High School Scholars. She was a guest artist at the South Korean launch of Steinway & Sons, the Ministry of National Defense in South Korea, and at the US-Korea Conference in New York City. Her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s From the Top and WSMR Classical.
Equally at home with the traditional canon and music of our own time, Esther’s advocacy of new music has led to working closely with such distinguished composers as Peter Maxwell Davies and Unsuk Chin, as well as performances of works by leading contemporary voices including Jessie Montgomery, Caroline Shaw, Jennifer Higdon, Steve Reich, and John Harbison. She gave the world premiere of Amy Dunker’s solo works written for the courageous people of Ukraine. In recent seasons, Esther has been invited to appear as a guest artist with the American Liszt Society, NOVA Chamber Music Series, Bonneville Chamber Music Festival, Korean-American Federation of Utah, Ogden Piano Festival Cultural Extravaganza, Browning Trio, and at two special gala celebrations for Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Additionally, she can be heard as a collaborative pianist on the recording of Thom Priest’s original composition for Bassoon and Piano, “Running the Green."
The 2024–2025 season featured an array of performances across the United States and abroad, including a solo recital as the Conference Artist for the Utah Music Teachers Association State Conference, a lecture-recital at the Cleveland Institute of Music, concerts of contemporary and chamber repertoire, a return to the Charlotte Bach Festival, and teaching and performing engagements throughout South Korea—including a solo recital at Steinway Hall in Seoul. The 2025–2026 season includes a residency at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a concert of newly commissioned solo piano works with NEXT Ensemble, and appearances as soloist and chamber musician in a range of performances with flutist Emi Ferguson, violinists Aisslinn Nosky and Blanka Bednarz, and cellists Guy Fishman and Cheung Chau. Esther also gives a featured performance with members of the Utah Symphony.
As an artist-teacher, her passion lies in nurturing individual expression, human compassion, and unique talents from all walks of life. Esther currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Weber State University, where she is also the Director of WSUPiano Festival and Accompanying area. In the summers, she is on the Artist Faculty of Bay PianoFest at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Additionally, she held the role of Program Assistant at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival at the University of South Florida for two seasons and was a faculty-mentor at Bravo Waukegan and American Music Centre. A sought-after adjudicator and clinician, she has been invited to judge numerous competitions and give masterclasses across the country. Esther is also Chair of the Music Teachers National Association Piano Performance Competition for the State of Utah and has served as the Chair of the Collegiate Program for the Utah Music Teachers Association. She previously taught at New England Conservatory and Eastman School of Music and served on the piano faculty at Clarke University.