Wharton Music Center
If you happened to visit Wharton Music Center on any given Friday afternoon this Fall, you might have run into Jee-Hoon Krska, Wharton parent and pianist, rehearsing with two faculty members for a rare piano six hands concert on February 8 at 3:00 p.m. as part of WMC's 2014-2015 Community Concert Series.
Jee-Hoon, New Providence resident and mother of three, is the Manager of Design Methodology and Automation at Avago Technologies. A graduate of MIT, Jee-Hoon was born in Malaysia where she quickly gained national attention with performances on Radio Malaysia and before the Sultan. Upon immigrating to the United States, Jee-Hoon entered the Juilliard Pre-College Division and later continued her studies in piano with David Deveau, all while earning a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jee-Hoon has appeared at Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and as a soloist with the Boston Pops under the baton of Keith Lockhart.
All three of Jee-Hoon's children study music, and have already gained recognition for their talents in the performing arts. William, age 13, plays the drums and baritone; Lizzie, age 11, plays percussion, piano, and sings; and Grace, age 6, plays the piano. Lizzie has participated in the NJMEA All State Honors Choir and her piano and flute composition entitled "Believe, Dream, Inspire" won at the District, Regional, and State levels of the 2013-2014 Reflections Competition, advancing to the National Level.
Not to be banal, but tell us where you work and what you do there?
I work at Avago Technologies where I manage a team that designs chips that go into things like hard drives for computers.
How are you able to find the time to balance work, family, and performing?
I set a time budget for my week to protect my time with my family and also to make sure that my work does not become all-consuming. In seasons when I'm preparing for a concert, I do have to give up a little sleep and also time at the gym. My husband and kids are very supportive during these times (they tell me that they enjoy hearing me practice), which really helps!
What do you enjoy most, or get the most from, performing?
I love the sense of facing the unknown during a performance. You never know when adrenaline is going to hit you! Whenever that happens, I hear and perform the piece in ways which I've never done before during rehearsals.
Seeing the audience's enjoyment makes me want to perform again and again.
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| Pianists Christine Ciuffreda, Kristine Peters, and Jee-Hoon Krska |
Jee-Hoon can be heard along with Wharton faculty members Christine Ciuffreda and Kristine Peters on February 8 at 3:00 p.m. at Wharton Music Center located at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights. Tickets to the concert are $5, available by calling 908-790-0700. Read about the concert in NJ.com.
For more information about the 2014-2015 Community Concert Series and all of our programs, please visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.
