Natalie Burton Hwang

Performance Background

Dr. Natalie Burton Hwang has performed across the U.S. and China in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Suzhou Cultural Arts Center, Phoenix Musical Instrument Museum, Katzin Concert Hall, Lagerquist Concert Hall, Canyon Wren Recital Hall, Soochow University Concert Hall, Central China Normal University, and Spokane Public Radio. Her performances have won prizes in several international competitions, such as the North International Music Competition, Paderewski International Piano Competition, France Music Competition, Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition, and World Piano Teachers Association Finland International Piano Competition as well as honors in numerous piano festivals.

Educational Training

Natalie completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Arizona State University where she studied with Dr. Baruch Meir and was the recipient of the Richard and Babette Burns Piano Scholarship and Special Talent Award for Music. She received a Master of Arts degree in piano performance from Soochow University where she studied with Dr. Elise Yun under a full-tuition scholarship in addition to receiving a Yamaha Music Scholarship and Chinese government Outstanding International Student Scholarship. As an undergraduate music student at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), Natalie studied with Dr. Oksana Ezhokina and was awarded a PLU Music Scholarship and Bertha Gilbertson Endowed Piano Scholarship. Additionally, Natalie has participated in masterclasses or lessons with Peter Serkin, Vladimir Feltsman, Gilbert Kalish, Christina Dahl, Jose Ramon Mendez, Antonio Pompa Baldi, Seth Knopp, and Alexandre Dossin.

Teaching Experience

Natalie has taught private piano lessons to students of all ages and levels since 2013. In addition to teaching privately, Natalie has also taught piano to undergraduate and graduate students at Soochow University and Arizona State University (ASU) as a graduate teaching assistant and faculty associate. In 2020, she was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award from ASU’s Graduate and Professional Student Association. Natalie also assisted in teaching undergraduate music theory at ASU and earned a Music Theory Pedagogy Certificate in addition to her doctorate degree in piano performance and pedagogy. Now residing in San Jose, CA, Natalie maintains a private piano studio of motivated students and is a member of Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)'s California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Santa Clara Valley Chapter.

Professional Contributions

As a recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant, Natalie spent a year researching piano pedagogy in China and wrote her doctorate research paper on The Teaching Methods and Philosophies of Three Leading Piano Teachers in China: Zhe Tang, Ling Zhao, and Vivian Li. Active in the community of piano teachers locally and nationally, Natalie has written articles for American Music Teacher and presented at numerous conferences, including the Music Teachers National Association National Conference and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Natalie has served as adjudicator and judge in the U.S. and China, as well as coordinator for several piano competitions and festivals, including the Bösendorfer & Yamaha USASU International Piano Competitions, American Liszt Society Festival, Angelo and Micheline Addona Arizona Young Artist Piano Competition, Shanghai International Music Festival and Competition for Young Artists, and Shanghai International Youth Piano Competition.

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