Esther Yune portrait

Esther Yune

Esther Yune received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music. While studying at Eastman, she earned the Performer’s Certificate and the Graduate Award in piano accompanying. Among other performance experiences, Dr. Yune performed as a soloist at the Commencement Concert with the NEC symphony orchestra before leaving Boston. Her teachers include Wha Kyung Byun, Barry Snyder, and Soo-jung Shin.

Featured as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist, Dr. Yune’s inspiring interpretations have been greatly appreciated by audiences in various venues. She was invited as a solo performer at Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and also gave a performance and masterclasses at UKLIM University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Since moving to Southern California in 2003, Dr. Yune has continued sharing her passion for music as she continued performing, adjudicating, and devoting her time nurturing students of all ages. Her students won numerous competitions and went to music schools including the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Southern California. She taught at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music from 2004 to 2007 and continued performing through PCM’s Mansion and Music Series. Her performance venues with PCM include the Huntington Library, Norton Simon Museum, and A Noise Within Theatre to name a few. Other local performance locations included the Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Long Beach City College, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Dr. Yune is the director of the Doctor of Church Music program at the World Mission University in Los Angeles. Already established student leaders from many locations such as Korea, Indonesia, and across the country are under her guidance. Dr. Yune is a registered adjudicator at the Southern California Junior Bach Festival and also adjudicated in many other festivals and competitions including MTNA Sonata-Sonatina Festival and Youth Mozart Festival in San Diego. She serves as the co-chair for the Certificate of Merit Branch Honors Program at MTAC OCN Branch. Besides keeping her busy schedule as a musician, she loves gardening and spending time with her family in Chino Hills.