Cameron University’s Dr. Hyunsoon Whang has been honored with the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award by the Oklahoma Music Teachers Association, becoming only the 15th recipient of the prestigious award since it was launched in 2001. The award recognizes a teacher who has made a significant difference in the lives of students, has contributed to the advancement of music in their community and is an outstanding example of a professional music educator. Whang will now be entered for consideration as the Music Teachers National Association’s Teacher of the Year Award.
Whang was nominated by former student and current OMTA Treasurer William Spannagel, who wrote, “Dr. Whang is not only an exceptional teacher, but also a mentor, advocate and supporter.” He also stated that “she truly cares for her students, and I have personally experienced her kindness and concern.”
A member of the CU faculty since 1993, Whang is a professor of piano and serves as the McMahon Endowed Chair in Music. A dedicated educator, she has taught and nurtured generations of piano students. Her former students are working as performers, educators and church musicians around the world. She has conducted masterclasses in several countries and adjudicated numerous state and national competitions. She regularly presents interactive recitals for rural public school children, fostering in them a love of classical music. An inductee into the Cameron University Alumni Association’s Faculty Hall of Fame, she also received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the CU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. Additionally, she is a recipient of the Oklahoma Governor’s Arts in Education Award.
Whang also serves as an instructor of piano at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan.
In addition to teaching, Whang actively participates in OMTA’s numerous programs.
“It would be difficult to overstate Dr. Whang’s impact in OMTA through her service as an adjudicator in local and district festivals and auditions as well as collegiate, state, and national competitions,” says Terri Hlubek, vice president of communications for OMTA.
In addition to teaching, Whang is an in-demand performer. She began her piano studies at the age of four and has performed in Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia and nearly all 50 states. Equally versatile as a soloist and a chamber musician, she has collaborated with noted musicians including Alexis Weissenberg and Leonard Slatkin. Her most recent recording of late Brahms works was released in December 2024. She is on the Oklahoma Touring Artist roster and is a frequent guest artist with the Florida Chamber Music Project.
Whang studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts, the St. Louis Conservatory and The Juilliard School. She earned a doctorate in piano performance and literature from Indiana University and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, a certification awarded by the Music Teachers National Association.
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