Currently Assistant Professor of Piano at Southern Illinois University, Yuko Kato has performed as a soloist and collaborative musician in many prestigious venues across the U.S., including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and also at Carnegie Hall.  The recipient of numerous scholarships and prizes, Dr. Kato has been invited to perform and study in England at the Dartington International Summer Program on a full bursary, in Canada at the Aria International Music Academy, and has been a prizewinner in competitions, such as the Artists International Competition in New York.  A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Kato began her musical studies at the Colburn School of Performing Arts.  She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with honors from Northwestern University, where she was the recipient of the Margaret E. Dadian scholarship, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Manhattan School of Music.  Her principal teachers include Jeffrey Cohen, David Kaiserman, Dorothy Hwang, and Louise Lepley, and she has performed in masterclasses with Claude Frank, Malcolm Bilson, David Dubal, Mikhail Kazakevich, John O’Connor, and Leonard Hokanson.