HieYon Choi
About this Artist
HieYon Choi, a celebrated South Korean pianist, rose to prominence on the international stage by winning prestigious prizes at renowned piano competitions such as the Kapell, Epinal, Busoni, and Viotti. Her career is highlighted by extensive collaborations with prestigious orchestras including das Rundfunkorchester Berlin and the National Symphony Orchestra DC. She is a regular performer at festivals and concert series worldwide.
A significant milestone in her career was a comprehensive four-year cycle performing all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas at the Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, for which she received the 2005 Arts Award from the Korean Arts & Cultural Association. Later, she completed another Beethoven cycle, featuring piano trios, violin sonatas, and works for cello and piano, performed across venues in Korea, Germany, and the US until 2018.
HieYon Choi is a passionate advocate for contemporary music, collaborating closely with composers and performing works by Messiaen, Kurtag, Eötvös, York Höller, Unsuk Chin, among others, with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She served as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at the Tong-Yeong International Music Festival.
Her discography includes acclaimed recordings of Beethoven’s Sonatas, Liszt's Six Paganini Etudes, Debussy’s Douze Etudes, and Chopin's 24 Etudes. She has also been featured on TV and radio channels.
Born in Inchon, South Korea, HieYon Choi began her musical journey at an early age and pursued further studies in Germany and the US under the guidance of Prof. Klaus Hellwig, Prof. Hans Leygraf, and Prof. György Sebök.
Since 1999, HieYon Choi has been a faculty member at Seoul National University, giving master classes globally at institutions such as Guildhall School in London and Ecole Normale in Paris. In 2023, she joined the piano faculty at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.