Pianist Sunhwa Kim is the winner of the 12th Seoul Student Award for enhancing Korea’s national prestige from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Born in Seoul in 1992 she started to play the piano at the age of 4. At the age of 11, she had her solo debut, the Seoul Arts Center Prodigy Concert at Seoul Arts Center, followed by the Kumho Prodigy Concert at Kumho Arts Center, followed by a performance with orchestra at the age of 12 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall.
She was a finalist and received the Honorable Mention Prize in the 2013 International Paderewski Piano Competition in Poland and the 20th Ile de France International Piano Competition in 2018. She received an additional prize participating in the Interpretation Master Course by the European Krzysztof Penderecki Centre for Music. She performed Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 with Paderewski Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marek Pijarowski, at the Concert Hall of the Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Ms. Kim won the first prize in the Yamaha Music Korea Scholarship Audition, and at the 15th Korea Chopin Competition, as well as first prize and the Brilliant Technique Prize in the All Japan Art International Competition. She has also won first prizes in the Korea·U.S. Music Competition, Eumag-Chunchu Competition, Hankookilbo Competition and second prize in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Asia. Her solo recitals include the Kumho Young Art Concert, Yamaha Rising Artists Series Recital, the Ujung Art Center, the Eumyoun Summer Music Festival, Eumyoun Summer Festival Grand Finale Concert, and the Yamaha Little Pianist Series.
As a member of the Benefic Piano Trio, she received Grand Prize at the 4th Enkor International Music Competition.
Seoul National University has invited Ms. Kim to perform at the International Piano Academy’s opening concert, and she also received an invitation by Eumyoun to perform at the Eumyoun Summer Music Festival Opening Concert.
As a chamber musician, she played the Brahms Piano Quintet with the Silesian Quartet in Poland and performed the Brahms Piano Quintet during the Spirit of SNU Strings II Chamber Concert, held in the IBK Chamber Hall of the Seoul Arts Center.
Most recently, Sunhwa Kim has participated in numerous concerts such as the Colburn Young Artist Series Concert, and has performed with singers from the 2018 LA Opera Young Artists at the Steinway & Sons gallery, Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.
Sunhwa Kim has participated in lessons and master classes with numerous concert pianists and conductors, including James Conlon, Arie Vardi, Menahem Pressler, Kevin Kenner, Robert McDonald, Ralf Gothóni, Andrzej Jasinski, Piotr Paleczny, Alexander Braginsky, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Pavel Gililov, Jacques Rouvier, Joaquin Soriano, Boris Petrushansky, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, John O’Conor, Christopher Elton.
She has participated in the Ishikawa Music Festival, the Hamamatsu International Piano Academy in Japan and Great Mountain Festival in Korea. She has studied with SooJeong Shin, Choongmo Kang, HaeJeon Lee, Hyongjoon Chang and Jinwoo Chung in South Korea.
She graduated with honors and received her bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University. Currently, Ms. Kim is an Artist Diploma candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she studies with Fabio Bidini.