Chanmi Na

Violist Chanmi Na completed her bachelor’s degree at the College of Music, Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea, and then went on to pursue both a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, USA, where she further developed her knowledge and skills as a musician.

Dr. Na, who has distinguished herself by winning prizes at competitions such as the Korea-America Competition, the Music Journal Competition, and the Youngsan Chamber Music Competition, has solidified her position as a performer through appearances on numerous stages, including the Chosun Ilbo New Artists Concert, the Youngsan Grace Hall Invitational Chamber Music Performance, the Youngsan New Artists Concert, and the Asian Contemporary Music Festival. While attending the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, USA, she performed in various concerts spanning repertoire from the Baroque to the contemporary, including the Eastman Bach Cantata Series and the Viola Commissions Project. She also minored in Baroque performance and regularly appeared on stage with the Baroque ensemble as a member of the Eastman Collegium Musicum. Her lecture recital, “Lillian Fuchs: The Pedagogical Aspects of Her Compositions for Viola”, presented during her doctoral studies, was selected as the best recital of the year and awarded the Lecture Recital Prize, recognizing her outstanding ability. Dr. Na has also consistently demonstrated her commitment to sharing and communicating through music, appearing at the annual NYBC (New York Bible Conference) Fundraising Concert, hosted by the Upstate New York Korean Church Association, and participating in If Music Be The Food… with the Eastman Viola Ensemble, hosted by Foodlink, a hunger-relief organization in Rochester, New York. She has also performed in masterclasses with Michelle LaCourse, Richard Yongjae O’Neill, and the Miro Quartet, and broadened her horizons in viola performance and pedagogy by studying with world-renowned musicians at the Bowdoin International Music Festival and the Karen Tuttle Coordination Workshop.

Since returning to Korea in 2021, Chanmi Na has given solo recitals at Kumho Art Hall and the Inchoon Art Hall of the Seoul Arts Center, and has performed with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including Philharmonie Korea, the Ditto Orchestra, and Ensemble Woori. Passionate about nurturing future generations and advancing viola pedagogy, Dr. Na previously served as a lecturer at Sookmyung Women’s University. Now she is a violist with Quartet SOOM, Abel Chamber and currently teaches at Incheon Arts High School.

In September 2025, Violist Chanmi Na became the resident violist at Studio Bârâʼ, seeking to share a wider range of music with audiences and to further challenge herself through diverse musical experiences.