The Washington Post declared pianist Shirley Yoo as having "extraordinary sensitivity and technical skill." She has given numerous recitals in her native Pittsburgh and several live performances have been broadcast there on WQED-FM. Abroad, she has performed on series in England, Italy, Austria and Canada. Her top prize winnings include such competitions as the Pittsburgh Concert Society, the Pennsylvania Federation of Music Clubs, the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Kosciuszko Foundation's National Chopin Competition, and the Young Keyboard Artists' Association International Competition. An active collaborator, she has performed in several chamber ensembles at various festivals and appeared at the Smithsonian Institution's American History Museum as a part of Schubert's bicentennial celebration. She has been coached regularly by members of the Guarneri and Juilliard String Quartets. She has also participated in master classes with Marc Durand, Leon Fleisher, Marek Jablonski and Seymour Lipkin. Recently, she was awarded a grant from the Presser Foundation to study abroad with Noretta Conci-Leech.
Miss Yoo graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree at Johns Hopkins University and received her Master of Music degree at the University of Maryland on a fellowship. She attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Peabody Conservatory under Ellen Mack.
