5 Promising Classical Musicians Spotlighted by Kumho Art Hall

by Park Pyunghee

Published 06 Jan.2025 09:44(KST)

Kumho Art Hall will present the 'Kumho Rising Star' concert series five times until March, showcasing rising talents in the Korean classical music scene.

This year's Kumho Rising Stars are pianists Kim Songhyun (23) and Seonyul (25), violinists Park Suye (25) and Kim Seohyun (17), and recorder player Bang Jiyeon (28).

Kim Songhyun, who will take the stage first on January 16, won the New York Liszt International Competition last year and was the runner-up at the 2023 Yoon Isang International Music Competition. In this performance, he will present a piece titled "In a Landscape," vividly depicting a dreamlike scenery. The first half of the concert will begin with John Cage's "In a Landscape," followed by Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 15 "Pastoral," and Bart?k's "Out of Doors." In the second half, he will perform Chopin's "Lullaby" and "Fantasy-Polonaise," and Ravel's "La Valse."

Seonyul solidified her position as a next-generation pianist by winning last year’s Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and Seoul International Music Competition. Currently studying at the Paris Conservatoire (?cole Normale de Musique de Paris), Seonyul will hold a recital featuring works by French composers she enjoys the most. In her concert on the 23rd, she will perform French composers’ music including Rameau's "Gavotte and 6 Variations," Poulenc's "10 Improvisations," and Debussy's "Suite Bergamasque."

From the left, Kim Song-hyun, Seon-yul, Park Su-ye, Kim Seo-hyun, Bang Ji-yeon [Photo courtesy of Kumho Cultural Foundation]

Violinist Park Suye is a young musician known more through her recordings than competitions. She has released a total of five international albums so far. Her third album, "Journey of the Century," was selected as Gramophone's Album of the Month and Album of the Year in 2021. In her concert on February 6, Park Suye will perform Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 1, Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3, Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 2, and Ravel's "Tzigane," accompanied by pianist Park Youngseong.

The rising young violinist Kim Seohyun is the youngest among the five. She won the 2021 Eug?ne Ysa?e and Leonid Kogan International Competitions and became the youngest-ever winner at the 2022 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition and the 2023 Tibor Varga International Competition. On February 13, she will perform Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 1, Faur?'s Violin Sonata, Ysa?e's Solo Sonata No. 5, and Saint-Sa?ns' "Caprice in the Form of a Waltz," accompanied by pianist Ilya Rashkovsky.

Recorder player Bang Jiyeon will close this year's Kumho Rising Star series on March 13. It is the first time in 12 years that a recorder player has been selected as a Kumho Rising Star. Bang Jiyeon established her international reputation as a recorder soloist by becoming the first Asian to win first place at the 2023 SRP Moeck Recorder Solo Competition. She will perform works composed for the recorder by Vivaldi and Dai Fujikura, as well as pieces originally written for flute and violin by composers such as Corelli, Michel Blavet, and Vitali, all played on the recorder. Bang Jiyeon plans to present a diverse program using various sizes of recorders. Baroque cellist Kang Jiyeon and harpsichordist Lee Eunji will join her on stage.

Since 2004, Kumho Art Hall has introduced over 80 promising musicians through Kumho Rising Star, including violinists Lee Ji-hye, Lee Ji-yoon, Yang In-mo; pianists Kim Dasol, Kim Sunwook, Kim Taehyung, Sunwoo Yekwon; flutist Cho Sung-hyun; oboist Ham Kyung; and baritone Kim Taehan.