Bio

Dr. Rachel K. Park is Associate Professor of Piano at Jacksonville State University. 

As an active soloist and collaborative pianist, she has performed in over 1,000 concerts across the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She collaborates with vocalists, instrumentalists, and ensembles across a broad range of repertoire. Her notable performance venues include Carnegie Hall in New York, the Crystal Cathedral in California, and the Embassy of Korea in Washington, D.C.

Her 2023 Carnegie Hall debut earned high praise from New York Concert Review for its emotional depth and technical precision. She was also featured in recital at Elim Art Hall in South Korea in 2024, and gave a solo performance in the Netherlands in the summer of 2025, further establishing her international presence.

In addition to her performance career, Dr. Park’s research focuses on compositions of Korean contemporary composers, collaborative works across styles and genres, and music arrangement. She has presented her work at both national and state-level conferences, including the MTNA National Conference, the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy National Conference (GP3), and the Alabama and Florida State Music Teachers Association Conferences.

She previously toured as pianist for the Pilgrim Ensemble (2003–2009), performing in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Iraq, Kuwait, and across the United States. From 2012 to 2015, she was the pianist and organist for Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass, performing over 100 concerts per year. She has recorded five ensemble albums and released a solo album titled The Love and My Songs, featuring her own arrangements of hymns.

Dr. Park has received numerous honors for both her performance and scholarship. She was named a 2023 American Prize National Finalist in Professional Solo Piano Performance and a 2024 Grand Prix Music International Semi-Finalist. In 2011, she won the Piano Texas International Academy & Festival Concerto Competition, performing as a soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Her other accolades include the Minister of Education Award from the 17th National Student Music Competition in South Korea, the James McKinney Outstanding Performer Award, and the Wayne (Polly) McNeely Piano Award from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dr. Park currently serves as President of the Alabama Music Teachers Association and is an active member of MTNA, ASCAP, the American Matthay Association, and the Asian Society of Music in New York. She has also served as an Honorary Ambassador for several nonprofit organizations, including Food for the Hungry International, the Africa Future Foundation, and Good Neighbors USA.

She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea, and both her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Church Music and Piano Performance from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Her mentors include a distinguished list of teachers and pianists: Dr. Robert Smith, Dr. Jill Sprenger, Dr. Mark Hussung, Dr. Sung-Yeon Kim, Dr. Moon-Chul Kim, Ms. Jung-Won Chae, Ms. Seung-Ae Choi, Mr. Dae-Hyun Kim, and Mrs. Jong-Ae Kim.