Prizewinner of international piano competitions and a Bösendorfer Concert Artist, pianist IVO KALTCHEV has enjoyed a successful performing career as recitalist, soloist with orchestras, chamber musician, and recording artist. “Formidable technique” (Piano Journal, England), “possesses the genius of rubato” (Diapason, France), “distinctive and original” (Soviet Culture, Russia), “impressive” (Frankfurter Neue Presse, Germany), “most beautifully and idiomatically played” (International Record Review, England), “glittering,” “big technique” (Washington Post, U.S.), “a master of the whole range of pianistic attacks and coloristic effects” (The Star Ledger, U.S.)—these are some of the words that music critics have used to describe Dr. Kaltchev’s artistry and piano playing.

Dr. Kaltchev has performed in musical centers throughout the world, including Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, Changsha Concert Hall, China Conservatory Concert Hall, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory’s Malii and Rachmaninov Halls, St. Petersburg State Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw National Philharmonic Hall, Salle Moliere (Lyon, France), Tel Aviv Museum Recanati Auditorium, Mendelssohn Hochschule für Musik Hall (Leipzig, Germany), Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium, and the Bulgaria Great Hall. He has been a guest artist at music festivals in Austria, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Ukraine, Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand, Canada and the U.S. Some of the highlights of recent seasons include a solo recital and a concerto performance with the EOS Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall, concert tours in Asia, as well as performances of the complete solo piano works of Claude Debussy as well as the complete art songs of Henri Duparc. A respected chamber musician, Dr. Kaltchev has performed with Shanghai String Quartet, Harrington String Quartet, pianists Ilana Vered and Milena Mollova, French actress Marie Christine Barrault as well with members of the New York Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Dr. Kaltchev’s critically acclaimed commercial recordings for the Bulgarian “Gega New” label include an all-Charles Griffes CD (hailed by the French magazine Diapason as “the most accomplished interpretation known until now”), a CD with the world premieres of solo piano works by the French composer Florent Schmitt, as well as a recently released CD with works of Debussy.

Dr. Kaltchev holds degrees and diplomas from Yale University and Rutgers University, Sofia Academy of Music, and the Liszt Hochschule für Musik (Weimar). He is the recipient of the Catholic University of America Awards for Overall Teaching Excellence (2017) and Achievement in the Creative Arts (2019) as well as to other piano pedagogy awards for teaching excellence presented by the Piano Teachers Society of America, the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, the Princeton Steinway Society and other organizations. He has presented lectures, workshops, and master classes in Europe, China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Costa Rica, the Virgin Islands, and the U.S.

Dr. Kaltchev is an active adjudicator and has judged international piano competitions in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. Dr. Kaltchev’s students have won more than 70 prizes at international and national piano competitions and have performed with numerous orchestras including I Solisti di Perugia (Italy) and Orquestra De Camara De Cascais E Oeiras (Portugal). His students have been accepted for graduate and undergraduate piano studies at Juilliard, Peabody, Eastman, Manhattan, Indiana, San Francisco, Northwestern, Mannes, SUNY Stony Brook, Roosevelt, Miami and other leading universities and schools of music in the U.S.

Currently, Dr. Kaltchev is Professor of Piano and Head of the Piano Area at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is the Artistic co-Director of the Lancaster International Piano Festival (www.lancasterpianofest.com) as well as the Artistic Director of the Bulgarian Music Society Concert Series at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington, DC (www.bulgarianmusicsociety.org ). He has taught as a Visiting Piano Professor at the Beijing China Conservatory of Music and the Yale University School of Music.

DR. JEONGEUN PARK KANG is the founder and Executive director of YMIC (Young Musicians Inspiring Change), a non-profit organization that guides and supports young musicians to use their talents to benefit the community and various charitable organizations all over the world.

Praised for her ability to “combine grace and power equally in her expert performances to delight the listener,” pianist JeongEun Park Kang is a highly sought after performer and teacher in the Washington DC area. Dr. Kang received her degrees in piano performance from the Catholic University of America (DMA), the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University (MM) and West Virginia University (BM). She has studied with Dr. Ivo Kaltchev, Marian Hahn, Dr. James Miltenberger, Jin-Woo Jung, Hong-Ja Jung, and Yong-Bae Kim.

Performing extensively as a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Kang gave recitals at the Catholic University of America, Peabody Conservatory of Music, West Virginia University, NOVA, the Embassy of Korea and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. She has performed at the Seoul-Washington Women’s Associations Concert held in the Korean Ambassador’s residence in Washington, DC. She has performed as a concerto soloist with the Pusan City Orchestra in Korea and with the West Virginia University Orchestra. She also had the honor of performing for the President of Korea. In addition, she is a founding member of the Washington Piano Ensemble, which performs actively in the Washington DC area.

Dr. Kang has won many prestigious awards and scholarships, including being named finalist in the MTNA National Collegiate Competition and winning first-prize in both the Samick Competition and the Sun-Hwa Competition in Korea. Additionally, she received music scholarships from West Virginia and the Catholic University of America.

A member of The National Guild of Piano Teachers, MTNA, MSMTA, MCMTA, Dr.Kang is dedicated to piano education. Many students from her successful teaching studio have placed in local, national, and international competitions and festivals. She is a recipient of the “Best Teacher” award from the International Hymn Competition.

DR. CATHERINE H. LIM is an experienced performer and teacher. She has given numerous solo and chamber recitals in Korea, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, Bulgaria and Italy and has been a featured soloist with the Portugal's Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, CUA Symphony Orchestra and Perugia Symphony Orchestra in Perugia, Italy.  She is a top prize winner of the Korea National Student Competition, the Korea Music Association Competition, Music Chun-Choo Competition, and the CUA Concerto Competition.  She performed solo and chamber music at the Kang-Reung International Music Festival, Music Naturally Summer Festival, Las Vegas Music Festival and Music Fest Perugia in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, Nevada, Seoul, Korea, Monte Castello and Perugia, Italy.  She also has invited to perform at the National Gallery of Arts, National Women’s History Museum in Washington DC, the Residency of Korean Ambassador, The Church of Epiphany in Washington D.C., Teatro della Concordia "The Smallest Theater in the World" in Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy. 

Dr. Lim was awarded numerous scholarships, including Scholarship-Doctoral and the William Masselos Scholarship from the Catholic University, Excellent Performance Scholarship from Hanyang University, Korea as well as full tuition scholarship from the Music Naturally Summer Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

She has participated in the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in 2005 and 2006. She was invited as a judge of the piano competitions and auditions including NVMTA Achievement Award Piano Competition, NVMTA Ensemble Competition and WPPC Most Wanted World Piano Competition at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference in 2006 in Atlanta, GA.

Dr. Lim is a graduate of Hanyang University (BM), Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University(MM) and the Catholic University of America in Washington DC(DMA). 

Dr. Lim was a faculty member of the music institutions in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC.  She is an active member of the Washington Piano Ensemble, MTNA and NVMTA.  Dr. Lim is currently a piano faculty at Trinity Washington University and Catholic University of America in Washington DC. and she also serves as a chairperson of Piano concerto festival of NVMTA and YMIC Internship Program.  

Besides her college teaching and performances, she is running her private piano studio in Centreville, VA and many of her students are prize winners from numerous competitions.  

DR. EUNSUK JUNG is a pianist, collaborative artist, and pedagogue. She made her orchestral debut in 1992 with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra in Korea. Since then, she has been performed solo recitals, concerti and chamber concerts throughout Asia and the United States. She has also been an active collaborative artist and has continuously worked with professional instrumentalists throughout the East Coast. Her most recent recitals include working with well-known clarinet players at the ICA (International Clarinet Association Conference), world-renowned tuba and euphonium players at the ITEC (International Tuba Euphonium Conference), University of Tennessee woodwind faculty members, and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra String Quartet.

In addition to her performances, Dr. Jung has been invited to give master classes in the United States and Korea and serve as a judge at various music competitions, including the Music Teachers National Association Regional Division in Tennessee and Kentucky, YMIC (Young Musicians Inspiring Change) International Competition, the Association of Christian Schools Fine Arts Competition, Youth Aliyah Concert Competition, and the University of Tennessee’s Celebration of Excellence.

As a pedagogue, Dr. Jung is currently on the music faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Coordinator of Class Piano studies. She previously worked at Hiwassee College in TN where she served as the Piano Area Chair for all keyboard studies. She recently served as the President of the Knoxville Music Teachers Association and advisor of MTNA Collegiate Chapter at the University of Tennessee. She holds both a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Mokwon University in South Korea. Dr. Jung studied organ and harpsichord and held organ recitals while she was at West Virginia University. She is currently serving as the organist at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.