About Us

Mission Statement

The Grand Valley Piano Chamber Series (GVPCS) was founded in 2021 to share the joy and beauty of classical piano chamber music with all in West Michigan. We do so by:

presenting performances of the highest caliber;
performing a wide range of piano chamber music repertoire including the lesser-known compositions by under-represented composers;
providing all concerts for free;
collaborating with, and bringing together, other organizations with the same mission.

Board and Staff

Artistic Director

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Sookkyung Cho

Director of the GV Piano Chamber Series, Sookkyung Cho is Associate Professor of Piano at Grand Valley State University. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has appeared in venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Sarasota Opera House, Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal in Canada, Château de Fontainebleau in France, Bilkent Piano Festival in Turkey, and Xi’an Conservatory in China. Dr. Cho received a bachelor’s degree from Juilliard, where she was honored with the John Erskine Graduation Prize, and earned a master’s degree at Peabody and a doctorate at Juilliard as a C.V. Starr fellow. Her debut CD, Schubert’s 1817 Sonatas, was released on Centaur to critical acclaim in April 2021. She is proud to be an adopted Michigander!

Administrative Assistant

Andrew Kales

Andrew is a student at Grand Valley State University studying Music Education. He has been the Administrative Assistant for GVPCS for the past three years where he maintains the website and social media accounts and designs the programs and brochures. You'll see Andrew at every concert taking pictures and videos and helping with stage changes. At GVSU, Andrew studies violin with Dr. Letitia Jap and is concertmaster of the GVSU Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr. Joel Schut. In addition to performing, he is the President of GVSU's student chapter of the American String Teachers Association and hopes to teach high school orchestra in Michigan after graduating. Outside of music, Andrew trains for American Ninja Warrior and waterskis with the GVSU Waterski and Wakeboard Club.

Board of Directors

Dr. Douglas Kindschi, President and Treasurer
Dr. Douglas Kindschi, now in his 49th year at Grand Valley State University, served in the position of dean for 28 of those years. He is currently University Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy and the Director of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute. He received his B.A. from Houghton College, graduate study at the Divinity School, University of Chicago, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Alan Steinman, Secretary
Dr. Alan (Al) Steinman is the Allen and Helen Hunting Research Professor of Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI). Previously, he was Director of AWRI for 22 years. Steinman has published over 200 scientific articles, book chapters, and books; has been awarded over $60 million in grants, and has testified before the US Congress and the Michigan and Florida state legislatures. Dr. Steinman holds a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a Ph.D. in Botany/Aquatic Ecology from Oregon State University. His current community board service includes the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Goodwill International of West Michigan, and West Michigan Symphony.

John Allen
A native of Grand Rapids, John Allen spent three decades as a high school English teacher in suburban Chicago. He is a classical guitarist, photographer, and writer. John holds a Master of Music Degree in guitar performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music and a B.A. in music and English from Kalamazoo College. He and his wife, MaryJean, are avid hikers in West Michigan and classical music concert goers throughout the United States and Europe.

William Alsover
William C. Alsover is a lifelong resident of West Michigan and a graduate of East Grand Rapids High School, Albion College, and Michigan State University. He worked in many areas in the investment industry locally and in New York City and Washington, D.C. He has served on a number of corporate and non-profit boards and is currently a board chair of the PK Lakes Improvement Board and the Fremont Area Community Foundation. He moved from the Forest Hills area to Newaygo several years ago and has three adult children who also attended Calvin College.

Dr. David Moore
Dr. David Moore is board-certified in Internal Medicine after completing medical residency at Cook County Hospital, where he met his future husband of 46 years. A clinical assistant professor of medicine at U of I College of Medicine, he taught students and residents at Mt Sinai Hospital and Advocate Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, where he founded and co-directed a 24-bed inpatient AIDS treatment unit and integrative outpatient program. He has studied piano since the age of 4, currently with Dr. Daniel Baer. He studied organ at Northwestern University and was a church organist. His primary musical passion is collaborative piano and chamber music.

Dr. Sookkyung Cho, Artistic Director

Our Partners

*Click on each logo to visit their websites!

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Grand Valley Piano Chamber Series does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or age in admission or access to, or employment in, its programs and activities.

Grand Valley Piano Chamber Series is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of its activities including concert-programming.