Minh Huong Nguyen Hoang

Pianist Helen Nguyen indulges her musical curiosity with repertoire that is challenging, varied, and fresh. She currently attends Interlochen Arts Academy, studying Classical Piano Performance with Christopher Goodpasture. Beginning her musical journey at the age of 8, Helen studied music with Ms. Lam Hien Hoang and Mr. Minh Duc Tran of the Auftdart Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vietnam; then pursued additional studies with Dr. Thomas Lymenstull, a former piano faculty member at Interlochen.

Since then, she has participated in various masterclasses, performances, competitions, and board exams for the performing arts. Helen holds numerous certificates from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in which she received marks of distinction for her two piano certifications – the 8th grade Piano exam and the ARSM Diploma Certificate for Piano Performance. In 2020, Helen was a finalist in the Putra International Piano Competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Throughout her time in Vietnam, she has also participated in masterclasses with violinist Rudy Kremer of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and violist and conductor Kenneth Freed of the Minnesota Orchestra. In recent years, Helen has participated and was winner of multiple competitions; some namely, Trinity International Music Competition, Euro-Elite International Music Competition, Haydn Online Music Competition, and Online Piano Competition of Poland. In addition, she has also taken part in masterclasses and private lessons with pianists Nicolas McCarthy, Terrence Wilson, Jeffrey Biegel, Kara Huber, and Hyemin Kim.

At Interlochen Arts Academy, Helen actively engages in piano department recitals and has performed solo works by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, and Poulenc. In addition to her solo performances, Helen regularly plays in the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra and Wind Symphony and in piano duo with fellow Interlochen pianist Kieran Alston, performing works by Beethoven, Brahms, Karl Goldmark, Mozart, Saint-Saens, and George Gershwin; for which they have been a State Winner at the previous Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) for the 4-hand piano category. This year, Helen is partaking in Interlochen’s The Imagine US: Celebrating America at 250 nationwide tour, playing primo in the Orchestral Piano part of Ives Symphony No. 4, conducted by Christian Măcelaru and assistant conductor Alex Amsel of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She also has a Solo Piano Recital upcoming, where she will be performing works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Poulenc, and Khachaturian.