News & Press

“The most exciting thing about it now is there are so many voices in America,” Kwon says. “It is the best thing about America. We should all celebrate the diversity.”

“The pandemic gave me the courage to do it because we were all very isolated and confined in our homes,” Kwon says. “This was a time to reach out to people. I wanted to motivate [my colleagues] with a new energy and give them motivation to do something meaningful. So, I started emailing, calling, and Zooming. It was my everyday pandemic activity.”

"I wanted to find a song that every American had a connection to, or had a relationship with, or could identify with," Kwon says.

It just reminds once again what I love the most about our country and that is the exciting diversity and multilayers of who we are, where we come from, where our parents come from, what we look like and what kinds of experiences and feelings and emotions that we bring to the table.

“The first step to learning about differences is to listen to each other,” she said. “Music teaches us a great lesson in that we listen first.”

“I reached out to Grace Church when I found out this man Sam Ward was the composer,” Kwon says. “It really came full circle.”

Pianist Min Kwon had been considering commissioning a set of variations, not unlike the Diabelli Variations, before the pandemic put the world on hold.

“Min Kwon asked more than 70 composers either to write a variation on or a piano piece inspired by the song ‘America the Beautiful,’ says Distler. “To have so many diversely creative voices respond so positively in the wake of the pandemic says it all, and I’m especially proud to be one of the composers involved.”

Kwon's hope is to paint a sonic picture of her adopted country in all of its sprawling complexity, and ultimately try to find the beauty at the core of the American experiment and its credo of e pluribus unum (out of many, one).

"Ultimately this project is about embracing our diversity, and remembering that by understanding, appreciating, and celebrating our differences, we become stronger both as individuals and as a country. The fact that 70 composers can hear the same song in a completely different way is, to me, something truly beautiful."

Pianist and arts advocate Min Kwon’s response is America/Beautiful, a dialog of relationships in historical and contemporary USA. The commissioning project explores our country’s diversity, values, and in some cases, contradictions by premiering seventy variations on “America the Beautiful.”

Following her curated concert of the 50 Unknown Diabelli Variations at Carnegie Weill Hall in 2017, Kwon already had the vision to create a new version of this for 21st century America, but after the pandemic hit in March and the protests followed in May, it became even more important to her to create a broader reflection on America by re-imagining what’s often been called “the national hymn.”

“For me, this is the most exciting part of being a musician, not too different from planning a menu for your dinner party or to map out sightseeing stops for your family travel. It’s that storytelling part or putting small pieces together for a big picture for the audience to see [that] most excites me and motivates me in my pursuit as an artist."

"A sensitive musician with the intelligence and technique to match."

"Min Kwon is not only a superb pianist and musician, but also an individual with a keen intellect. She possesses tremendous versatility as a solo pianist as well as a collaborator and chamber musician."

"Min Kwon is a superlative pianist with the technical equipment of top virtuoso and a fund of warmly communicative musicality."

"An extraordinary pianist with sovereign technique and strong, expressive and emotionally-experienced musicality."

"That very rare kind of talent that unites the most exceptional technical ability with profound musical sensitivity."

"Superb pianist from all points of view."

"Congratulations are due to all the performers and especially Ms. Kwon, whose energy and dedication has made the difference in the musical lives of so many through CME."

"In today’s competitive musical world, the concert was remarkable for its freedom from egotism and rivalry; in a true spirit of homage to the composer, the performers never called attention to themselves or to their technical and musical gifts, but focused entirely on the music. This was a heartwarming and satisfying evening of music."

"One particularly gratifying aspect of this marathon was the wonderful sense of camaraderie. Bravo to everyone connected with it!"

"Ms. Kwon, who had supervised and greeted earlier that evening, proved to be the tireless center of a vibrant performance."

"Min Kwon, director of the piano department and teacher for the majority of the evening’s performers, offered gracious acknowledgements at the conclusion of the concert. A notable pianist in her own right, she proved to be a skillful and enthusiastic organizer as well."

"It was therefore an exhilarating surprise to discover that a recital of both books of Debussy Preludes (24 in all) turned out to be one of my favorite concert experiences in memory, thanks to Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts and the inspired direction of Ms. Min Kwon. Their all-Debussy concert at Weill Hall was – dare we use this word? – perfection. All in all, it was an extraordinary musical project, unique, in fact."

"The hardest working pianist of the evening was Min Kwon, the Chair of Keyboard studies at Rutgers. Her liquid tone and seamless phrasing made every piece from the arrangements to Schubert’s TroutQuintet a joy to hear. She was a poised, sometimes humorous, and always gracious colleague… How very lucky are the students of such a fine music department to have these artists to inspire them."

"Rutgers' Piano Department is on a par with the world’s most prestigious conservatories."

"All under the watchful, charmingly humorous eye of their mistress of ceremonies, Min Kwon… There’s something really good going on in the piano department of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at nearby Rutgers University."

"The Piano Studio of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers pulled off a neat trick last week. Its program at Weill Recital Hall, “The Unknown Diabelli Variations,” strayed far from the beaten path… a remarkable evening that revealed a wide range of pianistic and compositional gifts among the students."

"It is a testament to the excellence of the Kwon-Lehrbaumer duo that one hears these perhaps over-familiar works with new ears. The pianists find surprising depths in the contrasting material in the famous D Major, and hit exactly the right celebratory mood for the second. Charm runs through the third. Each of Schubert’s variations turns into an exploratory delight. The drama of the opening [of the Duo in A Minor] is as well caught as the miraculously pliant, delicate contrasting sections. The duo’s attention to detail is remarkable—try the perfectly even accompaniment just moments before the end… Min Kwon’s disc on MSR of Schubert and Liszt was enthusiastically welcomed by Charles Timbrell in Fanfare 32:3. I am yet to hear that disc (I’d like to, certainly). In the meantime, I can only echo praise of Kwon’s musicality, a musical sensitivity matched by her partner on this occasion, Robert Lehrbaumer."

"The drama is palpable..."

"The Korean-born Rutgers professor and Austrian pianist/organist/conductor make a commanding duo debut in some of Schubert’s greatest four-hand pieces. Their virtues immediately impress in the Marches Militaires: a crisp élan with absolute unanimity of coordination; subtlety of dynamic and rhythmic inflection; and an attractively light, debonair touch that brings out the lyrical, playful side of these exceedingly un-militaristic specimens of the genre... There is impressive attention to detail, and plenty of time for it to speak. The disc is beautifully recorded, and all in all this stylish, refined duo is easy to recommend. I’ll be looking out for more from them."

"...A seductive Schubertian "Volume I"... Supple and idiomatic."

"Min Kwon is much in demand these days as both recitalist and teacher. This new MSR release, the pianist’s solo debut on record, immediately shows us why. Her suppleness of finger, elegant phrasing and expert use of the rhythmic flexibility known in music as rubato, all serve to raise this Schubert/Liszt recital well above the ordinary. Other critics have praised Min’s readings for being elegant and well-proportioned. Without denying any of that, I’d like to focus on her fire and conviction… Min Kwon’s answer to them makes the finale a pure delight. At 38 minutes, this sonata may seem overlong for the material, but with a performance like this, who cares? A brilliant passagework, the expressiveness of Liszt’s sonorous chords, and the dazzling sweep of one of his most striking solo works."

"...Clearly a virtuoso."

"Kwon views dynamics, pedaling, and color in a unique way. [In Schubert's Con M'oto] Ms. Kwon finds herself and reveals the full beauty of the music. All flows naturally, with phrasing so gentle and lovely the notes breathe with just the right motion. The concluding rondo is a model of refined delicacy…[Gretchen am Spinnrade] is performed most beautifully. For the Don she shows a willingness to play at full thrust to emphasize our hero's braggadocio. Like the Don, she can boast of a full conquest-this time of the music's temperament and technical demands."

"Kwon mixed power with subtlety, delicacy of technique with raw romantic passion."

"Exciting not only through her impressive command of the keyboard, but through her imaginative abilities in capturing various styles."

"Intelligent and unostentatious music making."

"Kwon’s ability to fine-tune her dynamics lay as the foundation to the success of the Sonata. Kwon understood and controlled well the tension between surface elegance and inner drive and exploration. It was the finest performance of this Sonata [Haydn] I have heard to this date. The recital finally reduced itself to a simple “Wow!”"

"Winning blend of virtuosity and fervor."

"Min Kwon gave a ravishingly beautiful and powerful concert for the hundreds of music lovers forging a special bond with the audience."

"Very impressive."

"Playing of unruffled clarity, finesse, and elegant proportions."

"Kwon played with such sensitivity that concert-goers seemed to stop breathing."

"Min Kwon’s captivation enthusiasm on stage, coupled with superb technique, warm emotional lyricism, and explosive energy, truly made for a magnificent performance. She is a first class artist and veteran performer. I wish her kudos on the world stage."

"Min Kwon is an extraordinary virtuoso. She turned in a masterful performance and the audience showed its appreciation with a standing ovation."

"Astonishingly talented…deft keyboard work and mastery of dynamic range."

"Masterful, she brought the house to a standing ovation for the first of several times during the evening."

"Min Kwon and Robert Lehrbaumer play as one organism. The performances to me get to the essence of Schubert as a composer – part naïve bourgeois, part visionary titan. This recording brings smiles to my face every time I listen to it."

"To say the audience was thrilled with the performance would be an understatement of high order… a truly grand and amazing performance."