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CANYON, Texas — A South Korean graduate piano student at West Texas A&M University will be the featured soloist for an upcoming WT Symphony Orchestra concert. 

Minkyoung Song will perform the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the orchestra at its concert, set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus. Admission is free. 

Song came to WT in January 2021 to pursue her master’s degree following a trip by eight WT faculty members and six students to her home country in May 2019. The WT musicians performed at the University of Suwon, Changwon National University and International Performing Arts Center in Seoul. 

Song attended a masterclass conducted by Dr. Choong-ha Nam, WT professor of piano, and on the encouragement of her adviser at Suwon, applied to study at WT. 

“I came here because I wanted to study in a wider world that I had never seen and experienced before,” Song said. “I thought that at WT, I would be able to study music to my heart’s content as well as learn more about other cultures.” 

Song is “a delight to work with,” Nam said.  

“She is serious about developing her skills as a musician and pianist to the highest degree possible and never shies from trying out and assimilating new ideas and exploring the music deeply,” Nam said. “New possibilities of color, voicing, phrasing and subtle nuances seem to excite her immensely, and exploring them with her and seeing her musicianship flourish has been wonderfully gratifying.” 

The program also will feature William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony,” completed in 1930. 

“This piece employs the blues in an orchestral setting to present four perspectives on the Black experience in the U.S — longing, sorrow, humor and aspiration,” said Dr. Mark Bartley, Lilith Brainard Professor of Music, director of orchestral activities and associate director of WT’s School of Music. “The music is alternately festive, thoughtful and heartfelt, but always engaging. Anyone new to Still’s music will recognize a style similar to Gershwin’s.” 

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key principle of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. 

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised more than $85 million. 

About West Texas A&M University 

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs, 39 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.