Fifteen Years of Coming Home: Reflections on the Texas State International Piano Festival

As the 2026 Texas State International Piano Festival came to a close, I found myself reflecting on a journey that began fifteen years ago.

In 2011, I arrived in San Marcos as a Young Artist student from Indonesia for my very first Texas State International Piano Festival. Like many young pianists, I came eager to learn, inspired by the artists around me, and excited for a week of music-making. I could never have imagined that a single summer would shape the next fifteen years of my life.

What began as a week-long piano festival eventually became the place where I chose to pursue my undergraduate studies, build lifelong friendships, grow as a musician and educator, and, years later, return as a performer, faculty member, and Marketing Director.

Looking back over the past fifteen years, I realize that TSIPF gave me far more than musical experiences. In many ways, it gave me a home.

Returning Home

Last summer, we celebrated the festival's fifteenth anniversary in Seoul, South Korea—a remarkable milestone that reflected how far TSIPF has grown beyond its Texas roots.

This year, however, felt different.

For our sixteenth festival, we returned to San Marcos, where the festival first began.

Of course, every festival has its own unique atmosphere (and yes, I have to admit the food in Seoul was hard to beat!), but there was something especially meaningful about coming back to the place where so many of our memories were first made. It reminded me that while venues may change, the spirit of TSIPF has always remained the same.

This year also brought another exciting milestone as we welcomed the largest applicant pool in the festival's history. Watching the festival continue to grow while maintaining its close-knit and supportive atmosphere was incredibly rewarding.

One of my favorite parts of every TSIPF is reconnecting with colleagues whom I admire not only as extraordinary musicians, but also as generous teachers and wonderful friends. It was equally exciting to welcome several new faculty members whose artistry and perspectives enriched the experience for everyone involved.

On a more personal note, it was especially meaningful to spend time again with friends like Zehao and Keer, whom I first met as fellow students at Texas State more than a decade ago. Seeing how our careers have evolved—each following different paths while remaining connected through music—was a wonderful reminder of the lasting friendships this festival helps create.

The Students

If there is one thing that continues to inspire me every year, it is our students.

This year, I had the privilege of serving on the selection committees for both the Steve Kahng Piano Competition and the Concerto Competition, which gave me the opportunity to hear an extraordinary range of performances even before the festival began. Throughout the week, I also worked with students in private lessons and masterclasses, and later enjoyed hearing many of them perform in our student recitals.

What impressed me most was not simply how well they played.

It was their curiosity.

Their openness to new ideas.

Their willingness to challenge themselves.

Their determination to keep growing, even after already reaching an exceptionally high level.

Many of these students return to TSIPF year after year. They come back not because they have finished learning, but because they know there is always another level to reach. Watching their artistic growth over time is one of the greatest privileges of being a teacher.

I also think their return says something about the festival itself.

As our students continue to grow, so does TSIPF. Every year brings new faculty, fresh perspectives, and new opportunities, while preserving the supportive environment that has always made the festival feel like a community rather than simply another summer program. Seeing students choose to return, despite countless opportunities elsewhere, is perhaps one of the greatest compliments a festival can receive.

What Happens Before the First Note

Most people experience TSIPF from the concert hall, the classroom, or the audience.

My experience often begins months earlier.

Beginning in 2025, I had the opportunity to serve as the festival's Marketing Director while continuing to teach on the faculty. It allowed me to experience the festival from an entirely different perspective. Beyond the concerts, lessons, and masterclasses, I became involved in many of the behind-the-scenes efforts that help bring the festival to life each year.

Long before the first student arrives, there are websites to update, admissions to coordinate, social media campaigns to prepare, banners to design, festival programs to create, and countless pages to lay out in InDesign. Like any large organization, there are always unexpected challenges along the way. (Let's just say WordPress has certainly kept me on my toes.)

By the time the festival begins, the goal is simple: everything should feel effortless.

If students are focused on making music instead of wondering where to go, if faculty have everything they need before they ask, and if audiences simply enjoy the concerts without giving a second thought to the printed programs in their hands, then the countless hours behind the scenes have done exactly what they were meant to do.

Working on the administrative side of TSIPF has given me an entirely new appreciation for what it takes to build and sustain a festival of this scale. It has also reminded me that great artistic experiences are made possible by countless people whose work often goes unnoticed.

A Festival Built by Many Hands

Of course, none of this happens because of one person.

I am deeply grateful to Dr. Jason Kwak, Dr. Paul Sánchez, and Dr. SungEun Park for their leadership, vision, and friendship throughout the festival.

A heartfelt thank you also goes to our Head Counselor, Mandy Faccenda, together with Cindy, Sarah, Miles, and JJ, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that every student felt welcomed, supported, and cared for throughout the week.

I am equally grateful to our faculty, volunteers, sponsors, donors, student workers, and everyone else whose generosity and dedication make this festival possible year after year.

Festivals like TSIPF are never built by individuals.

They are built by communities.

Looking Back

Looking back over the past fifteen years, I realize that TSIPF has been the one constant through every stage of my musical journey.

It first welcomed me as a Young Artist student from Indonesia. In the years that followed, it became the place where I chose to pursue my undergraduate studies, where I returned as a performer and Rising Star guest artist, where I learned the many facets of festival administration as an intern, and where I now have the privilege of serving as both a faculty member and Marketing Director.

Each chapter has allowed me to experience the festival from a different perspective, and each has deepened my appreciation for the remarkable community that makes TSIPF what it is.

Few musicians have the opportunity to experience a festival from so many different perspectives—as a student, performer, guest artist, faculty member, administrator, and colleague. I know how fortunate I have been, not only to grow alongside TSIPF, but also to contribute to its continued growth.

Fifteen years after first arriving in San Marcos as a teenager, I still find myself looking forward to each summer with the same excitement I felt when I first stepped onto campus.

To everyone who made the 2026 Texas State International Piano Festival such a memorable experience—students, faculty, staff, volunteers, sponsors, families, and audiences—thank you.

Here's to another wonderful year, and to many more summers of making music together.