Serra Hwang was born in Seoul, Korea and received her education in the United States. She received her MA and DMA in Composition from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Musical awards include the performance of her orchestral piece Pinari by the Hallé Orchestra for the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) Composer’s Platform and the winning of First Prize in the International League for Women Composers’ Search for New Music Competition. Serra Hwang’s music has been performed in South America, Asia, Europe, and North America, including concerts more recently at the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul and ICWM (International Conference for Women Musicians) in Beijing, China.

Recent composition projects include writing for PEP (Piano and Erhu Project) and the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival. CD recordings include IEL (Innocent Eyes & Lenses) label’s Asian American Music Compilation CD Project, Boldly Expressive: Music by Women on Albany, cellist Anthony Arnone’s Beckoning on MSR, and pianist Jessica Johnson’s Sojourn on Albany. Hwang has been on the faculty of Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University. Currently she is adjunct professor of composition at the University of British Columbia.