WTAMU piano professor captures ears and hearts with debut solo album

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Dr. Choo- Ha Nam said with the stroke of every key and note of music, it puts us in touch with our humanity.

“Really crowds us to being in touch with who we really are, who God made us to be,” said Dr. Nam, a professor of piano at West Texas A&M University School of Music. “Those are the emotions that we let in but we can choose to focus on what truly gratifies us, satisfies us, and makes us be grounded.”

Dr. Nam recently released her solo debut album, “Schubert Piano Sonatas in A, D. 664 and D. 959.

“It is a culmination of my career thus far, and education thus far, and to be able to reach people with this music that moves me so much means a lot to me,” she said.

The opening piece on the album is titled Sonata in A, D. 664, one of the early works by Late Classical Austrian Composer Franz Schubert.

“Three movements short, smaller in scale than some of his other works but he really showcases his gift for melody and harmony as well. He is very much known for those two things,” Nam explained.

Dr. Nam says it serves as the perfect lead up to the closing piece, Sonata in A, D. 959, one of Schubert’s last compositions before his death in 1828.

“These are probably the most personal and uncompromising musical visions that he had and his final words, so to speak, so they speak to me very much,” Nam expressed.

Dr. Nam tells us she worked on the album on and off for the last three or four years, and that it speaks to the timelessness of music and art.

“I believe is relevant at any time of our lives and perhaps more relevant than ever is today,” she said.

The album is available now digitally on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you consume music.

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