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EJ Park
EJ (Eun Jung) Park was born in Gwangju, South Korea. Her parents were music enthusiasts who filled their home with great music. EJ began piano lessons at the age of five when her preschool teacher discovered her playing melodies on the piano and recommended that she study the instrument. The piano soon played a major role in EJ’s life. She studied classical repertoire, performed in church, and followed her parents' wishes to pursue a career as a classical pianist. They were less enthusiastic when she developed a strong desire to study vocal performance. She attended the University of Cheonnam as a piano major with the agreement that serious vocal studies would begin after graduation.
Her time at Cheonnam confirmed for her that a career as a classical pianist would not fulfill her growing desire to sing and explore other musical genres. She has said, "I did not want to play composed music perfectly, I wanted to freely express who I am through music."
After graduating from University of Cheonnam she entered Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts (DIMA). It was there that she became exposed to jazz and quickly determined that jazz would be the perfect vehicle for the creative self expression she was seeking. In 2008, while at DIMA, she began immersing herself in the study of jazz singing. She performed at well-known Korean jazz venues and participated in various concerts singing both jazz and gospel music. In the following years EJ became the leader/arranger of “Da Capo,” a jazz vocal acapella group. She also began teaching voice at Entertainment Management Academy.
In 2011 EJ’s love for jazz and her commitment to artistic growth led her to The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She was awarded a Master of Music in Jazz Studies degree in 2013. While at UArts, EJ studied vocal performance, piano, arranging, composition, improvisation, pedagogy, and music journalism with a faculty that included John Swana, Justin Binek, Michael Dawson, J.Michael Harrison, and Don Glanden.
EJ Park has a rare combination of abilities that promise to make her a talent to be noticed. A harmonically sophisticated pianist with perfect pitch, she is the ideal accompanist for her own extraordinary vocal work. At home with the standard jazz repertoire, she also has an impressive book of original material. Recent Philadelphia area performances at The University of the Arts, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, and WRTI Studios reveal a singer capable of deeply moving ballads, bop influenced swing, and impeccable intonation.
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EJ Park: Touching Us Softly with Her Song
by Victor L. Schermer
Her name is EJ Park. She's a young woman from Gwangju, South Korea. She disembarks from a plane in a city and country she's never been to before. She's a singer and pianist with a passion for jazz, and she's enrolled in the jazz master's degree program at the University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia, PA, USA. She wants to be a successful vocalist. She doesn't know anyone, and no one here in the States ever heard of her. ...
read moreI have no doubt that she would flourish here given the opportunity. The fact that she is a Korean woman singing jazz, I feel, is an advantage for her. It gives her a nice visibility in the
Steve Beskrone (Well known Philadelphia bassist who has toured with Ray Charles and Horace Silver)
* I have worked with Ms. Park as a bassist for one year. She has perfect pitch, plays fine piano, sings the jazz repertoire and works very diligently. Most importantly…she “swings. ”Jazz is said to be the greatest of American musical forms. It relates to who we are as a people and as a culture. For many, jazz is seen as a racial mix of Black and White. But jazz cannot be so narrowly defined. Ms. Park brings a very unique aspect as an Asian jazz vocalist performing on the highest artistic level. She not only can add herself to the list of great vocalists in her own right, but she is also an influence to many of Asian descent in America as a contributor, role model and ambassador of this American form.
Primary Instrument
Vocals
Location
Philadelphia
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Accompanist of Undergraduate Program (Voice Department), Voice Faculty of Graduate Program