Yekwon Sunwoo

Yekwon Sunwoo, the gold medalist of the 15^th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, was the first Korean to achieve this honour in 2017. He also stunned the music world by becoming the first Korean to win first prizes at the 2015 International German Piano Award and the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival. He now holds the record for the most number of first-place wins by a Korean pianist, in a total of eight international competitions, including the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition.

Yekwon Sunwoo has performed as a soloist with prestigious orchestras including the Washington Chamber Orchestra, Royal Danish Orchestra, Danish Radio Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Montreal Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has also given recitals at renowned venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Stadttheater Aschaffenburg. In addition, he has been invited to perform at various music festivals, such as the Verbier Festival, Aspen Music Festival and Marvão International Music Festival. 

After graduating from Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School, he attended the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Seymour Lipkin and graduated with the Rachmaninoff Prize. He also studied at The Juilliard School under Robert McDonald, graduating with the Artur Rubinstein Prize. Yekwon Sunwoo completed his artist diploma at the Mannes School of Music with Richard Goode and currently studies with Bernd Goetzke in Hannover, Germany.  As a prominent Korean pianist, he was recently appointed as an ambassador for the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games and for the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Germany.