Sueyoung Yoo (September 16, 1974 - May 25, 2015) was a musician, teacher and mentor loved by family and friends in her native Korea and in the United States, where she passed away in, 2015.
Sueyoung began taking piano lessons at the age of five. Throughout her middle school and high school years she continued to take private lessons until enrolling at Keimyoung University, one of Korea's most prestigious music schools. After graduation Sueyoung worked in Seoul for several years as an accomplished performing artist. In 2002 Sueyoung received a scholarship to study Jazz performance at the University of North Texas.
Upon earning her M.M. from UNT in 2007, she was accepted in 2008 for a prestigious composition residency at MacDowell in New Hampshire. In addition to her amazing piano skills, Sueyoung had a beautiful high soprano voice and sang opera, jazz and pop music. For the last seven years of her life, she resided in New York City. She performed in projects and productions with the Amore Opera, her own jazz quintet, Musical Monk, and Airmodular. She also served as a voice and piano teacher for scores of private clients and as an accompanist at Appleseeds, the Village Community School, and the Little Red Schoolhouse. For several years she was the organist at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in East Flatbush.
In addition to her artistic talent, Sueyoung will be remembered for her perpetual smile and her kind and positive nature. Those who knew her will always be enriched for having been touched by such a warm and loving soul. She is survived by her father, her two sisters Hyunju and Jihyun, her brother Jiwon, and her mother, Mal Sun Pak.
