Hee-Sung Joo
Meet Other
|
Pianist Hee Sung Joo first gained international recognition after winning First Prize at the Dudley International Piano Competition in England in 1995. Her success led to a London debut recital and extensive concert engagements throughout the United Kingdom, where critics praised her artistic maturity, musical insight, and exceptional technique. She further established her international reputation by winning First Prize at both the New Orleans International Piano Competition and the Simone Belsky Music Award.Born in Seoul, Korea, Joo made her concerto debut at the age of thirteen, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with orchestra. She later won First Prize at the Dong-A Music Competition and the Grand Prize at the Hankook Ilbo Music Competition, two of Korea’s most prestigious national competitions. After graduating from Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and Seoul National University, she continued her studies in the United States, earning the Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, and Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, followed by advanced doctoral studies at the University of Hartford. Her principal teachers include Hwa-Kyung Byun, Russell Sherman, Paul Rutman, Kim Hyung-Bae, Han Ok-Soo, and Kang-Soon Lee. As a recitalist, Joo has appeared at major venues throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, including Steinway Hall in London, Jordan Hall in Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvard Musical Association Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, Seoul Arts Center, Kumho Art Hall, and Ho-Am Art Hall. Her performances have been praised for their intellectual depth, expressive power, and stylistic refinement. As concerto soloist, she has performed with numerous orchestras, including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Jeonju Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, New England Symphony Orchestra, and Seoul National University Symphony Orchestra. She has also appeared in major concert series such as the Seoul Arts Center Saturday Concerts, the Symphony Festival, and the University Orchestra Festival. An accomplished chamber musician, Joo is a member of Tonus Trio and has presented complete cycles of the piano trios of Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. She has collaborated with distinguished artists including Nobuko Imai, Philippe Muller, Laurence Lesser, James Buswell, Hsin-Yun Huang, Nicholas Kitchen, and Yeesun Kim. Her discography includes recordings of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier and Tempest Sonatas, Brahms Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2, and Mendelssohn’s complete Piano Trios on the NCM Klassik label. Recent recording projects include Schubert’s Impromptus and selected major piano works by Robert Schumann. Alongside her performing career, Joo has established herself as one of Korea’s leading piano pedagogues. In 2003, she was appointed to the faculty of Seoul National University, where she currently serves as Professor of Piano. Her students have gone on to successful international careers and have won prizes at major competitions around the world. Joo is frequently invited to perform, teach, and serve on competition juries internationally. She has given concerts and masterclasses at festivals and institutions throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, including those in Berlin, Beijing, Perugia, Amalfi, Cincinnati, Taipei, Busan, Jeju, and Gimhae. In 2019, she founded the PoAH Piano Society (Piano of Artistry & Humanity), which became an incorporated non-profit organization in 2025. Through concerts, competitions, educational programs, and outreach activities, the organization promotes artistic excellence while expanding opportunities for musicians and audiences alike. In addition to supporting young professionals and emerging artists, PoAH has developed a wide range of educational and performance programs for amateur musicians, helping to foster the remarkable growth of amateur participation in classical music in Korea and encouraging lifelong engagement with the art form. Hee Sung Joo is Professor of Piano at Seoul National University and President and Artistic Director of the PoAH Piano Society. |
