Dr. Songhwa Chae

Teaching Assistant Professor
Piano, Collaborative Pianist
Email: schae@k-state.edu
Office: 009 McCain Auditorium

Pianist SongHwa Chae serves as Teaching Assistant Professor of Piano at Kansas State University, where she teaches piano classes and performs with students, faculty and guest artists, and for operas and opera workshops. Prior to working at K-state, Dr. Chae worked as an adjunct faculty at Washburn University and Seoul Theological University.

Dr. Chae holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Kentucky, where she was a recipient of the S.C Bartlett Piano Award Scholarship and the Jean Marie McCornnell Chrisman Memorial Scholarship. She also earned her masters and bachelor degrees in piano performance from the Seoul Theological University with the most prestigious scholarships and honors.

Dr. Chae is an active pianist and chamber musician who loves to make music with people and share the joy of music with her audience. As a soloist, she has given solo recitals and won numerous piano competitions, including being the second prize winner in the Grand Prize Virtuoso music competition, the second prize winner in American protégé International Piano & Strings Competition, and prizes in various competitions in her home country, South Korea.

As an active chamber musician, Dr. Chae has performed with instrumentalists, singers, and orchestras on a wide range of repertoire, and has appeared in many venues. She performed with internationally renowned violinist, Madeleine Mitchell, and also as guest pianist with Sonores Duo (Dr. Amy Rosine and Dr. Sandra Mosteller) at the Central Plains Regional Conference of the College Music Society in Omaha, NE. In 2023 she was chosen Collaborative Pianist of the Year by the West Central NATS.

Dr. Chae finds joy in engaging with community events, such as Barrier-Free Theatre as a music director, and Manhattan’s summer chorus as a piano accompanist. As an active chamber musician, Dr. Chae has performed with instrumentalists, singers, and orchestras on a wide range of repertoire, and has appeared in many venues. She also has performed for operas and musicals, and she continues to perform regularly.