Elaine Kwon is a prize-winning concert pianist, martial artist, and Lecturer in Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), whose diverse talents have placed her in a category of her own. She is also Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the immersive music pairing series, Savor Your Senses®, which has delighted audiences world-wide with sensory music experiences of wine, food, spirits and more.
She has performed solo and chamber music concerts globally and has been broadcast on TV/radio in the US, Canada, China and Bulgaria. Elaine received standing ovations in seven sold-out Carnegie Hall benefit concerts for Best Buddies (Elaine Kwon and Friends, 2008-2016), and as soloist with numerous orchestras including the National Music Festival Symphony, Toronto Philharmonia, Union Symphony, and Slovak Sinfonietta. As collaborative pianist, she has performed with musicians of all genres, including multi-Grammy winning drummer/DJ/producer, Questlove (Roots, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Hamilton), multi-Tony/Grammy winner, David Bryan (keyboardist of Bon Jovi, composer of Memphis and Diana), jazz pianist/singer Tony DeSare, R&B singer/actress Kiana Ledé, members of Freestyle Love Supreme, and many others. She also concertizes as the pianist in the Piazzolla Trio. Elaine holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and has been a Lecturer/Affiliated Artist in the music department at MIT since 1999.
Dr. Kwon has been a featured guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. She was named a Power Woman of New York and was the subject of a documentary for the Arirang television series, Dream It (broadcast to 89 million households internationally). She has been profiled in numerous TV segments, videos and magazines.
As an avid martial artist, Elaine is a second-degree black belt, five-time U.S. National Tae Kwon Do Forms Champion and currently studies Shaolin Kung Fu. She represented Nike in Asian ad campaigns and has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Women's Health, and many other ads, magazines, and books.
She is the creator of LifeChord® and makes her home in New York City, where she continues to explore ways to combine and communicate her passion for music, martial arts, creative education and optimal living.
On this episode, Elaine shares her one-way ticket to a time when everyone fully appreciates life and savors the elements of each moment. She also shares her Savor Your Senses®, weighs in on music as therapy, and reflects on the humorous time Tim Gunn dressed her for her Oprah appearance!
Elaine is just one of the dynamic personalities featured on The One Way Ticket Show, where Host Steven Shalowitz explores with his guests where they would go if given a one way ticket, no coming back! Destinations may be in the past, present, future, real, imaginary or a state of mind.
Steven's guests have included: Nobel Peace Prize Winner, President Jose Ramos-orta; Legendary Talk Show Host, Dick Cavett; Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz; Fashion Expert, Tim Gunn; Broadcast Legend, Charles Osgood; International Rescue Committee President & CEO, David Miliband; Playwright, David Henry Hwang; Journalist-Humorist-Actor, Mo Rocca; SkyBridge Capital Founder & Co-Managing Partner, Anthony Scaramucci; Abercrombie & Kent Founder, Geoffrey Kent; Travel Expert, Pauline Frommer, as well as leading photographers, artists, chefs, writers, intellectuals and more.
