Chaeyoung Park

28
Birthplace: Yeouido, South Korea
Studied in: New York City, United States
Resides in: New York City, United States

When Chaeyoung Park (CHAY-young Park) was growing up in South Korea, classical music was the soundtrack for long car rides with her parents.When her grandmother gave the family a piano to enhance the living room decor, it quickly became a source of fascination for Chaeyoung.

She started piano lessons at age six and was soon expected by her teachers to practice several hours a day. Tantrums and tears ensued. Her parents assured her she could stop at any time and that they’d support her no matter what. Chaeyoung kept practicing.

When her childhood teacher said she had the potential to become a concert pianist, her father moved the family to Kansas so she could pursue a musical education in the United States. She was 10, didn’t speak English, and had no idea how to navigate a culture on the opposite side of the world. Music became her language and her anchor.

At 18, she moved to New York City to study at The Juilliard School. During college, a chamber music rehearsal left her unexpectedly in tears, not from frustration, but from joy. It was the first time she felt completely understood through music. That moment shifted how she thought about performance: not as a quest for perfection, but rather, connection.

Now based in New York City, Chaeyoung plays because she still chases that feeling of connection—of being fully “in it” with others. She performs solo and chamber music, often in intimate settings, and dreams of starting a festival centred around music, community, and good food.