"Bechstein always opens up a new world for me in my concerts. The instruments offer me endless possibilities and colours to develop my artistic skills. It is an honour for me every time I have the opportunity to perform on these wonderful instruments and I hope to continue this also in the future.”
– JeungBeum Sohn
In 2017 Jeung Beum became the first Korean pianist to win 1st prize at one of the world's most prestigious competitions, the Munich ARD Music Competition, with his powerful and almost perfect technique, maturity and confident sense of style. In 2019 he also received the International German Pianist Prize.
Jeung Beum began playing the piano at the age of 4 and made his first public appearance at 8. He won national music competitions in Korea early on and made his soloist debut at the age of 13 with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He studied at the Korean National University of Arts with ChoongMo Kang. In 2012 he went to Germany and studied at the Musikhochschule Munich with Arnulf von Arnim, where he took his master's degree. He completed his concert exam in 2019 at the Musikhochschule Münster, also with Arnulf von Arnim.
Already at the age of 20 he attracted attention on the international stage by winning the George Enescu Competition in Bucharest. He also received the Minister Prize of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which is awarded to talented artists who have rendered outstanding services to Korea. Winning the competition enabled him to work with excellent musicians and music institutions in Europe. Highlights include concerts in Stuttgart, Munich, Dresden, Frankfurt, Weimar, Leipzig and Berlin. He has also performed at famous festivals in Europe, including the Ruhr Piano Festival, the Busoni Piano Festival in Bolzano, the Cervo Festival in Italy, the Flagey Piano Days in Brussels and the Istanbul Piano Festival. He has worked with renowned orchestras such as the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Philharmonie Baden-Baden, the Münchener Kammerorchester, the Kolloquium Musicum Basel, the Philharmonisches Orchester Plauen Zwickau and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2020 Jeung Beum released his debut album with works by Schubert, Ravel and Beethoven, recorded on a Bechstein grand piano.
Photos: © Stefan Höning & International Piano Forum Frankfurt
