Pianist Jacob Clark received his musical education primarily in Texas, completing his B.M., M.M. and D.M.A. in piano performance at the University of Texas at Austin where his primary solo instructors were David Renner and Nancy Garrett. Dr. Clark has been awarded prizes in several competitions, mostly notably being named a prizewinner in the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, Sidney Wright Accompanying Competition, the Janice K. Hodges Contemporary Piano Performance Award, and the Mid-Texas Symphony Concerto Competition. Dr. Clark joined the faculty of Lamar University in the fall of 2014 as Assistant Professor of Piano, specializing in applied and group instruction. Previous faculty appointments include assistant professor at South Carolina State University, adjunct instructor at Northern Virginia Community College and piano instructor at the prestigious Levine School of Music in Washington D.C. where he taught both group and individual piano. An active performer, he has presented recitals in venues such as the Kosciuszko Foundation Auditorium in New York, the historic Church of the Epiphany in Washington D.C., the Mansion at Strathmore, the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, the University of Texas at Austin, Murray State University, Delta State University, and Southeast Missouri State. In addition, he performed his Washington concerto debut with the Washington Sinfonietta orchestra and has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Lamar Civic Orchestra, Lamar Wind Ensemble, SC State Wind Ensemble, and Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra.

As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Clark has performed with the Lamar University brass faculty as part of the 2016 Brass Festival and has appeared with renowned cellist Christopher Adkins, principal cellist for the Dallas Symphony.  Dr. Clark and his wife, Dr. Sujung Cho, perform frequently as Duo Korusa and have performed rare or newly composed piano duet works throughout the United States in venues located in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Michigan, South Carolina, Georgia, New York, Montana, Nebraska, and Missouri. Equally academics and performers, both members of Duo Korusa have a keen interest in research and have presented lecture recitals at national and regional conferences of the College Music Society at universities across the United States. Their recording of Diabelli’s Sonata in C major for Piano Four Hands has been published by Symposium, the peer-reviewed journal of the College Music Society and is available in the recording archives of Symposium’s online journal. Duo Korusa works closely with the composer Thomas Dempster, premiering his work “Congaree Voices” for piano duet and electronic track at the South Carolina Music Teachers State Conference at Anderson University and then performing it at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival at the Abrons Arts Center. Along with the Lamar University Wind Ensemble, they have also commissioned Dr. Dempster to compose a new piano concerto for piano four hands and wind ensemble that will be premiered in 2017. Other notable appearances include a performance of the Mozart Double Piano Concerto with the Lamar Civic Orchestra and performances on Lamar University’s Industrial Carillon new music concert series.