Dr. Jessica Kwong
Dr. Jessica Kwong grew up in Hong Kong and has been taking piano lessons since the age of 5. At 17, she went to the Bay Area to study music with Dr. Betty Woo. Jessica received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance and pedagogy from Holy Names University, and she earned her Licentiate diploma (LTCL) and performer’s certificate in piano from Trinity College London. Having received her doctorate degree in historical performance practices from Claremont Graduate University, where she studied fortepiano with Dr. Jenny Soonjin Kim and harpsichord with Dr. Robert Zappulla, she advocates authentic, faithful manners and styles of the musical era in learning music.
As a performer, Jessica gave numerous performances and lecture-recitals (United States, China, and Hong Kong). She was invited to perform on the reproduction of a Mozart-period piano at Walt Disney Concert Hall Founder’s Room, Los Angeles.
As a teacher, Jessica is devoted to develop students’ ability to express themselves through music. She also encourages students to challenge themselves and overcome obstacles in piano practice by using efficient approaches.
Research interests: piano performance practices in the 18th to 19th centuries, keyboard fingering in the 16th to 20th centuries, and Baroque French ornamentation