Robin Cho, a native of South Korea, studied classical piano from an early age. By the time she was in high school, she was an accompanist for the school chorus and served as its representative at the district-wide piano competition. Robin is a graduate of Ewha Women's Universitywhere her keyboard work for the group Mythos sparked her interest in musical theatre.

Ms. Cho came to Boston in 1997 to study at Berklee College of Music. She earned her Diploma in Professional Music in 2000 majoring in Performance and Arranging. During her studies with famed jazz pianist Laszlo Gardony, her training in improvisation inspired her to start composing. Her composition, Voyage: Music for Dance premiered at the Boston University Theatre in the fall of 2008 and was performed again in the summer of 2009 for the Jose Mateo Ballet Theater's Dance for World community festival. Robin has several other ongoing musical projects for theater in the works including composing more music for dance, which will be performed in 2011.

From 2000 to 2008, Robin worked as the Supervisor of Berklee's Computer Music & Media Lab. There she helped students learn how to use technology to improve their musical skills. Whether it was notating their compositions, doing music theory exercises or creating MIDI recordings of their musical ideas, Robin provided the necessary guidance.

Ms. Cho continues to serve as rehearsal and performance piano accompanist for the top dance companies in Boston. These include Jose Mateo's Ballet Theatre, the Brookline Ballet School and the Boston Ballet. Her piano work has provided the musical support so necessary for the instruction of children and adults in ballet classes run by these organizations. Robin's interest in musical theatre has provided her with additional experience in working with young people. She also currently works as a choral accompanist for the Brookline Public Schools and has been the piano accompanist for many school productions in Massachusetts and throughout New England.

To a Wild Rose is a beautiful piece, invoking an image of peaceful summer-time woods, which fits perfectly into composer Edward Macowell's Woodland Sketches. Edward Macowell, a composer from the Romantic period, lived in Boston MA, with a summer residence in New Hampshire.

Robin enjoys putting this piece into context with her students, teaching them about the composer and using this as an example of a "program piece". When Robin performs the piece herself she likes to imagine how Macowell composed the work and feels this helps in her interpretation of the music.

As an experienced teacher, Robin feels that this is a good piece for a student to learn when they are able to play with a legato style on the piano. The ability to control arm weight and proper use of the sustain pedal is also required. The piece is available in the book Favorite Classic Melodies, Level 2 by James Bastien, part of our piano studio book list. Robin recorded this version of To a Wild Rose on a Mac using Garage Band.

Robin Cho is also a composer. She recently wrote original music for the musical play Ruth: The Musical. This musical is based on the Biblical Book of Ruth. A workshop for Ruth: The Musical was held in June 2011 at the Korean Church of Boston.

Part of Robin's educational philosophy and approach to teaching piano involves finding the music styles that each student enjoys and bringing the music to life by telling stories about the composers and their compositions. She also uses recordings so students can hear different interpretations of the music they are learning. Robin encourages her piano students to listen to music at home and, when possible, to attend concerts and other performances.

Ms. Cho is teaching on Thursday's at the Ed Mascari Piano Studio in Hudson, Massachusetts.

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