So-Young Yoon
She/Her
So-Young Yoon is a jazz pianist and composer currently residing in Dublin. She acquired her B.Mus Jazz Performance from Newpark Music Centre in 2008 and M.Phil Music Composition from Trinity College Dublin in 2017. She also obtained a Licentiate Teaching Diploma from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2019, with distinction in performance.
She has been actively participating in the Dublin jazz scene since 2008. Frequently performing at jazz club JJ’s Smyth’s as a band leader as well as a guest musician, collaborating with most of the leading jazz musicians in Dublin. In 2011, So-Young led a six-piece ensemble at the National Concert Hall's John Field Room, presenting creative arrangements of Thelonious Monk's music that incorporated classical influences and various rhythmical technique. This sold-out performance garnered positive recognition, including a review headlined “Satisfying Concert" in the Irish Independent newspaper. In 2012, she returned to the John Field Room with my piano trio to perform the music of Wayne Shorter.
So-Young took an extended break from public performance in 2013 when she became a mother and focused on developing her compositional skills and piano technique as well as teaching method, acquiring M.Phil Music Composition in Trinity College Dublin and a Licentiate Teaching Diploma from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2019. As an educator, she has been teaching in Walton’s School of Music as a jazz piano teacher since 2008 to date running both group/individual classes teaching. So-Young also taught at the St. Conleth’s College, Ballsbridge as a piano teacher and Leaving Cert practical exam coach during 2014-2020.
So-Young started performing as a jazz pianist again in 2022, setting up her own project band “BIK SAM '' with Dave Mooney on bass and Andre Antunes on Drums. They are invited to perform at the Bray Jazz Festival in May 2024. As a session musician, So-Young joined the Irish singer/ songwriter Mik Pyro Band in 2023 and played at the “Electric Picnic '' festival and his album launch gig at the Whelan’s, Dublin, as well as touring Cork and Limerick among other gigs. In March 2024, she played for Mik Pyro at the RTE program, Tommy Tiernan Show. As a curator, So-Young was selected as a Dublin Jazz Co op Collective curator 2025 and she will be responsible to program and organise artists for four jazz concerts.