Dr. Marina is originally from Korea and has been playing piano since she was 4 years old. Ms. Hwang earned her first certificate degree at Judson University in 2010, and later earned two Master’s degrees from Eastern Illinois University (2014) in Piano Performance and Michigan State University (2017) in Collaborative Piano. During her studies in the Midwest, she actively played for string studios, vocal studios, choral groups, and occasional orchestral settings. She also actively participates in pedagogical conferences. As a member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and Michigan Music Teachers Association (MMTA), she presented posters at MMTA conference in Grand Rapids (2015), MTNA Collegiate Chapter Piano Pedagogy Symposium at the University of South Carolina (2016), and Ohio University Collegiate Chapter of MTNA (2016). She presented on discovering American piano method books, and studied different scores and editions of the figured bass of Puccini’s opera Coronation of Poppea. She enjoyed learning and studying about new ideas and teaching methods in order to apply these ideas to her own students.

As Marina moved to the D.C area, she continued her passion in piano chamber music, and completed her Doctoral degree at the Catholic University of America in 2021. She was a member of Friday Morning Music Club (FMMC), and is a member of Virginia Music Teachers Association (VMTA). She is looking forward to continuing and growing as an influential piano teacher and a collaborative pianist.

Marina is currently living in Herndon, Virginia with her husband, song and their dog Abe. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, making daily life videos, and walking around the trails of Herndon and Reston.