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Emily Yap Chua
Catherine Ehrman Thoresen ’23 and William Erness Thoresen Professor of Music; Program Head, Dance
| Credentials: | B.A., Florida State University M.M., College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati D.M.A., College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnat |
| Associated Departments: | Performing Arts |
| Office: | Presser 210 |
| Phone: | |
| Email: | echua@randolphcollege.edu |
News Headlines
- Chua performs as featured soloist with Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra
- Soprano Katherine Jolly and violinist Amadi Azikiwe joining Randolph professor Emily Yap Chua for concert
- Chua speaks at University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Music
- Violinist Omari Imhotep Abdul-Alim to join professor Emily Yap Chua for Black History Month performance
- Randolph music professor performs at Carnegie Hall
- Chua’s CD project with Katherine Jolly receives high praise in Gramophone magazine
- Randolph music professor to give preview of Carnegie Hall performance
- Randolph kicks off guest artist music series with performance by virtuoso violinist
- New CD project addressing world issues features Randolph music professor
- Chua serves on panel for North Carolina Arts Council
Pianist Emily Yap Chua made her international solo debut at The Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, where she was described as “a remarkably passionate piano soloist… vividly enchanting,” [The Daily Tribune] and praised for “tonal beauty and clarity,” “a graceful, effortless manner,” and a performance described as “vibrant, … spirited and movingly expressive.” “ …The overall impression Chua gave was of an exceedingly talented young pianist readying herself for greater acclaim….” [The Philippine STAR]
An active soloist and chamber musician, her collaborations include performances with musicians of orchestras and institutions around the world, including recitals with members of the Cincinnati, San Francisco, Detroit, Nashville, Charlotte, and Virginia Symphony Orchestras, as well as faculty from the College-Conservatory of Music at University of Cincinnati (CCM-UC), The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Florida State University, and University of Miami, among others.
Chua is an active clinician and adjudicator and in demand nationally as a collaborator, and her students have been prizewinners in competitions in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions. Her CD recording of the piano works of composer Kent Holliday, a project in collaboration with pianist Nicholas Ross, was released by Centaur Records in 2009. Her recording of new song cycles with soprano Katherine Jolly was released by Navona Records in 2019, in which her playing was reviewed by Gramophone magazine as “superb.” She made her debut appearance at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in January 2020 with tenor David Tayloe. She is currently working on another disc of song cycle commissions with Katherine Jolly, slated for release in 2025.
Chua is the Catherine Ehrman Thoresen ’23 and William Erness Thoresen Professor of Music at Randolph College, where she has taught since 2002. She served as chair of the Music Department for twelve years, and in 2021, oversaw the combining of the music, theatre, and dance programs into the Department of Performing Arts, which she chaired until 2024. She has been honored by Randolph College with the Katherine Graves Davidson Faculty Scholarship Award in 2010 (inaugural awardee), and the Katherine Graves Davidson Faculty Service Award in 2018.