Hye-Eun Yoo was 4 when she heard her brother play the piano, and she knew right away that she wanted to play the instrument for the rest of her life. She hasn’t given up on the idea.

“My parents took me to the music teacher, but she wouldn’t take me because I was too young,” Yoo said.

Now at 18, and an EC freshman everything is still in place; with fingers pressed on the ivory keys, she renders a harmonious tune that affirms her nascent idea some 14 years ago.

“I started playing the piano when I was a kid and I never quit,” Yoo said.

Traveling all over the world and studying in various schools is what Korean-born Yoo does to propel her career in music.

Raised in London, educated in Russia, and having traveled extensively throughout Austria, France and Germany, the now-collegiate 18 year old redefines what it is to be a citizen of the world.

“Music is culture,” Yoo said. “One has to be learned with the other, because they always come together. In examining a piece, you have to learn the culture from which the piece came from to understand the piece better.”

In pursuit of her love for performing, Yoo has been to music schools in four different countries for the past 13 years.

She expresses herself musically through melodies on the piano and linguistically in no less than three different languages-Korean, Russian and English.

“When people hear me speak with a British accent, they wouldn’t think that I can speak Korean, and when people hear me speak in Korean, they wouldn’t think I can speak English,” Yoo said.

She’s been educated in schools abroad including The Yewon School in Korea, The Purcell School in London, and the Tchaikovsky conservatory in Moscow.

“My family moved to London when I was six because my father wanted to further his career as a pastor. Then at 14 years old, my Russian professor at music camp took me to Russia to train me further,” Yoo said.

For someone so young, one would think maturity would come a couple of years later. But Yoo has learned to be independent at a very young age.

“Although my parents are very encouraging, they worry about me a lot, but I tell them that it’s OK,” Yoo said.

Learning piano pieces isn’t the only thing that has kept her hands busy. She has performed in recitals and competitions all over the world.

Yoo said that she had been admitted to the music colleges in London but moved here to study with a professor, Konstantine Sirounian, who was recommended by her former instructor in Russia.

“I learned a lot of things from Professor Sirounian that you probably wouldn’t get from other professors. He not only teaches me how to play, but he also teaches me general knowledge, like philosophy.”

Yoo’s experience with the piano and her diverse education in an assortment of schools worldwide has helped shape her capabilities as a musician and also her identity as a person. Every piece that she has learned how to play symbolizes various experiences in her learning, and these seem to accumulate into a symphony of her life.

“I love Bach because it reminds me of my childhood. Schumann comes more naturally for me compared to other composers,” she said.

She plans to transfer to USC and travel around the world to perform in conciertos.

Yoo believes that maturity spurs from positive as well as negative experiences that arise during growth and development as a musician.

“Every musician experiences an emotional breakdown that lasts for a little while – it can be the result of losing a competition, or performing badly. You need time away from the piano to build up your strength. You need to get hurt to get you motivated.”