Dr. Karen Yong
Karen Kai Yuan Yong, DMA, NCTM, is a Malaysian pianist, pedagogue, educator, adjudicator, collaborator, and researcher. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Music at Albany State University while also sustaining a private teaching studio.
With a proven track record of excellence in teaching, Dr. Yong is dedicated to developing students of all ages and levels in both individual and group settings. Her students have garnered numerous recognitions at regional and national levels. In recognition of her pedagogical excellence, she was honored with a Teacher Certificate of Recognition by The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto, and received an Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Yong is an active member of professional organizations such as the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA).
Beyond her teaching endeavors, Dr. Yong actively engages in performance. She has made numerous appearances both nationally and internationally in the United States, Germany, Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Some of her notable performances include a concerto work with the Ananda Sukarlan Award (ASA) Symphony Orchestra in Jakarta, Indonesia; and the premiere of solo works by Thomas Mann at the Joint Conference of the American Musicological Society and the National Association of Composers in San Marcos, Texas.
Dr. Yong is highly sought-after as a collaborative artist. Currently serving as a principal keyboardist of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, she has performed in seasonal concerts. Her collaboration skills have further led to invitations to esteemed events, including the American Idol Live Virtual Audition, the premiere opera show "Lady Bird: First Lady of the Land" in collaboration with the Texas State University Opera Theatre and the Texas Hill Country Opera and Arts, the Association of the Louisville Orchestra (ALO) Young Artist Competition, among others.
Renowned for her expertise, Dr. Yong frequently serves as an adjudicator. She has served as a judge for several music events, including the Music Singapore International Competition, the Great Louisville Music Teachers Association (GLMTA) Mini Festival Adjudication Event, piano juries at Bellarmine University, A Celebration of Musical Achievements organized by the Columbia Music Teachers Association (CMTA), and the Fall Recital Event for Inclusive Learners, presented by the University of South Carolina MTNA Collegiate Chapter in partnership with Carolina LifeSong Initiative.
As a researcher, Dr. Yong focuses her interests on keyboard pedagogy, group piano, and Eastern music. She has contributed to the field through her publications in the MTNA e-journal, Piano Inspires Kids magazine, and her doctoral dissertation. Furthermore, her research findings and insights have been presented at numerous local and international conferences, including the MTNA Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy (GP3) Forum, and the Malaysia Music Education (MUSed) Conference.
Dr. Yong earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Pedagogy with a minor in Music Theory from the University of South Carolina, where she studied Piano with Dr. Joseph Rackers and Dr. Charles Fugo, and Pedagogy with Dr. Sara Ernst and Dr. Scott Price. She also holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from Texas State University, where she studied with Dr. Jason Kwak, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance (summa cum laude) from the University of Malaya under the tutelage of Dr. Bo-Kyung Kim. In addition to her extensive formal education, Dr. Yong's passion for piano was nurtured from an early age through a remarkable learning experience with her beloved mother, Susie Hii.
