About

Dr. Young Kwon Whiting is an internationally active pianist and educator whose career integrates performance, teaching, and academic service. She began piano studies at the age of five in South Korea and won the International Youth Music Competition in Seoul at the age of eight. From an early age, she was deeply engaged in collaborative work with choirs and soloists and served as a church accompanist, experiences that shaped her lifelong commitment to collaboration and service through music.

Dr. Whiting has appeared in solo and collaborative performances throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia, including France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Singapore, and South Korea. Her performance highlights include a solo recital at Carnegie Hall and her recent appearance as choir pianist for the Music Festival for the Blind at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (2025). She continues to perform regularly as both a soloist and collaborative pianist in recital halls, festivals, and church settings.

Her artistry has been recognized with the James McKinney Outstanding Performer Award, which led to an invitation to perform with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at Bass Hall. Known for her collaborative sensitivity and musical versatility, Dr. Whiting is frequently sought after as an ensemble pianist and educator and has received multiple honors for her collaborative work.

Dr. Whiting is Associate Professor of Piano at Odessa College (Texas), where she teaches applied piano, class piano, music theory, and music appreciation. She previously served as Director of Keyboard Studies at the University of Texas Permian Basin and as adjunct faculty at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her teaching has been recognized internationally, including a teaching recognition award from the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico, and she brings extensive experience working with both collegiate and pre-college students in international settings.

Dr. Whiting earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Chugye University for the Arts in Seoul and completed both the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance in Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she studied with Dr. Robert Smith. During her graduate studies, she also pursued organ performance for service playing under Dr. Al Travis.

She currently serves as Vice President of the Odessa Chapter of the Texas Music Teachers Association and Regional Music Director for the West Texas division of the Bella Music Foundation for the Blind. She is also the founding dean of the Permian Basin/Concho Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and continues to support regional programming and outreach initiatives.