These are our current Graduate Assistants for the 2023-2024 academic year, serving Dr. Karen Savage and Dr. Christopher Madden.

Collaborative Pianists

James Li, 1st Year Masters in Collaborative Piano, serving as an Opera GA, currently studying with Dr. Karen Savage and Professor Sean Chen. His favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “refining myself as a pianist from performing in countless performances in both solo and collaborative concerts.”

Alex Li, 1st Year DMA Piano Performance, serving as a vocal collaborative pianist, currently studying with Dr. Jeff Savage. His favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “the art of collaboration, the skills of teaching, and the techniques of playing.” As an unapologetic introvert, Alex enjoys his downtime with Mathematics, sudokus, gaming, coding, crafting, designing, writing, drawing, and learning languages.

Jihyun Oh, 3rd year DMA Piano Performance, serving as an opera rehearsal pianist, currently studying with Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. Her favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “true collaboration with other musicians and encouragement and guidance from the faculty.”

Benjamin Havey, 3rd year DMA in Piano Performance, serving as the choir accompanist, currently studying with Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. His favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “to trust my own abilities. The more confident and prepared I am the more I can learn from others!” He has also worked professionally singing and playing synthesizers in bands.

Naren Palomino Pardo, 2nd year MM in Piano Performance, serving as an instrumental collaborative pianist, currently studying with Professor Sean Chen. His favorite thing about the UMKC Conservatory is “the enormous performance opportunities. Since the conservatory has a wide variety of students, ensembles, and guest artists, I learned that I must always be ready to take advantage of every opportunity to learn and make music. Thanks to my GA position, I had the opportunity to learn and play a wide variety of different genres and styles of music.”

Iris Wai Tung Choi, 1st year DMA Piano Performance, serving as instrumental collaborative pianist, currently studying under Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. Her favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “collaboration with other instrumentalists.”

Hyerin Yang, 1st year MM in Piano Performance, serving as an opera/ballet pianist, currently studying with Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. Her favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “I’m learning how to work on multiple pieces at once, how to create a natural flow to the music, and how to manipulate the instruments more subtly.”

Piano Teaching Assistants

Yuefeng Liu, 3rd year DMA in Piano Performance, serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Skills and Secondary Lessons, and currently studying with Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. Her favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “At UMKC Conservatory, studying piano performance for my DMA has been an incredible journey. I’ve improved my piano skills, learned to play different styles from my teacher, and have grown as an artist. Playing with other instrumental players and being in ensembles taught me a lot and made me a better chamber player. The classes on music theory and history deepened my understanding of music. I’ve had chances to perform solo, attend masterclasses, and join competitions, which helped me grow professionally. As a GTA, teaching students also refined my communication skills. UMKC Conservatory has not only made me a better pianist but also prepared me well for a career in music.

Shenwei Geng, 2nd year DMA in Piano Performance, serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Skills and Secondary Lessons, and currently studying with Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. Her favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “to always try and be inspiring!”

Colin Levins, 2nd year MM in Piano Performance, serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Skills and Secondary Lessons. This assistantship also recently extended to the Conservatory Academy, teaching private lessons. He is currently studying with Professor Sean Chen. His favorite thing about the UMKC Conservatory is “how well it built me for my career. Not only has my performance ability drastically improved, but with teaching classes/lessons and forming an MTNA chapter, my professional capabilities feel endless!” On top of music, Colin also works at the UMKC Music/Media Library, enjoys photography, and tries to be a runner.

Elizabeth Grace Chang, 2nd year MM Piano Performance and Pedagogy, serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Skills and Secondary Lessons. This assistantship also recently extended to the Conservatory Academy, teaching private lessons. She is currently studying with Dr. Chris Madden. Though her life revolves around music, Grace has many varied hobbies including taekwondo, knitting and raising rabbits!

Zixuan Deng, 2nd year DMA in Piano Performance, serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Skills and Secondary Lessons, and currently studying with Alon Goldstein. Her favorite thing learned from the UMKC Conservatory is “strive for the best while prepare for the worst, give your maximum while accept the minimum.”