Jinsang Lee (; born 14 September 1981) is a South Korean classical pianist and a professor at Korea National University of Arts. He came to international recognition by winning the Concours Géza Anda in Zurich in 2009 where he also became the first participant in the history of the competition winning all special prizes; the Audience Prize, the

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

Prize and the Schumann Prize.

Early life

Born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, Lee began piano playing at the age of 7, and started his musical education at Korea National University of Arts with Professor

Daejin Kim Kim Dae-jin may refer to: *Kim Dae-jin (pianist) (born 1962), South Korean pianist *Kim Dae-jin (actor) (born 1977), South Korean actor {{Hndis ...

at the age of 12. During his early life in Korea, he won top prizes at various piano competitions in Korea. After graduating in 2003, he journeyed to Europe to pursue further studies: from 2003 to 2006 at the

Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg The Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg (formerly ''Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg-Augsburg'') is a music conservatoire based in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. The conservatoire has a secondary building in Augsburg. The Hochschule The Hochschule für ...

as a pupil of Professors Wolfgang Manz and Julia Goldstein, and at the

Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln The Cologne University of Music ( is a music college in Cologne, Germany. Founded in 1850, it is Europe's largest academy of music. History The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as ''Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln''. In 1895 Ger ...

and Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg under the guidance of Professor

Pavel Gililov Pavel Lvovich Gililov (russian: Павел Львович Гилилов; born 23 June 1950) is a Russian classical pianist who has held German citizenship since 2003. Life Born in Donezk, Gililov's musical talent was discovered by the Russi ...

Career

Jinsang Lee has performed concerts with conductors such as

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

Michael Boder Michael Boder (born 9 November 1958) is a German conductor of opera and concert who works internationally. The chief conductor of the Royal Danish Theatre, he has conducted regularly at the Vienna State Opera, including the premieres of Cerha's ' ...

Christopher Warren-Green Christopher Warren-Green (born 30 July 1955) is a British violinist and conductor. He was born in Gloucestershire and attended Westminster City School, where he was a chorister, and later the Royal Academy of Music. Warren-Green has served a ...

David Effron David Effron is an American conductor and educator. After earning a Bachelor of Music degree in piano from the University of Michigan and a Master of Music degree in piano from Indiana University, he worked as an assistant to Wolfgang Sawallisch ...

Heiko Mathias Förster Heiko Mathias Förster (born 1966, Crivitz, East Germany) is a German conductor. Most notable for conducting the Munich Symphony Orchestra from 1999 to 2006, since 2014, he has been the chief conductor of the Ostrava-based Janáček Philharmonic ...

Peter Gülke Peter Ludwig Gülke (born 29 April 1934) is a German conductor and musicologist. Biography Born in Weimar, Gülke studied cello and musicology at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar. He completed his doctorate in philosophy in Leipzi ...

, Theodor Guschlbauer,

Heinz Holliger Heinz Robert Holliger (born 21 May 1939) is a Swiss virtuoso oboist, composer and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Classic ...

, Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, Michail Jurowski,

Roman Kofman Roman Kofman ( uk, Кофман Роман Ісаакович; born 15 June 1936) is a Ukrainian composer, conductor, music educator and People's Artist of Ukraine (2003). Kofman was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany i ...

Jonathan Nott Jonathan Nott (born 25 December 1962, in Solihull, England) is an English conductor. Biography The son of a priest at Worcester Cathedral, Nott was a music student and choral scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, and also studied singing a ...

Ola Rudner Ola may refer to: Places Panama *Olá, a subdistrict in Coclé Province *Olá District Russia *Ola, Russia, an urban settlement in Magadan Oblast *Ola District, an administrative division in Magadan Oblast *Ola (river), a river in Magadan Obla ...

Muhai Tang Muhai Tang (; born 1949 in Shanghai) is a Chinese conductor. He is the youngest son of celebrated Chinese film director Tang Xiaodan and brother of painter and poet Tang Muli. Tang initially learned music with his parents, and later studied ...

Umeda Toshiaki is a major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, and the city's main northern railway terminus (Ōsaka Station, Umeda Station). The district's name means "plum field". History Umeda was historical ...

Mario Venzago Mario Venzago (born 1948) is a Swiss conductor. Biography Venzago began piano studies at age five. He studied at the conservatory and the university in Zurich. He later studied conducting with Hans Swarowsky in Vienna. His other positions ...

and Nikolaj Znaider. He has performed with orchestras, such as the

Konzerthausorchester Berlin The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during World War II, and was rebuil ...

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra The Bamberg Symphony (German: Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie) is a German orchestra based in Bamberg. It is one of the most prestigious orchestras in Germany. The orchestra was formed in 1946 mainly from German musicians e ...

, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen,

Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (German: Nürnberger Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in Nuremberg. Its principal concert venue is the Meistersingerhalle. The orchestra's current ''Intendant'' (managing and artistic director) is Lucius ...

, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana,

Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date M ...

Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO; Chinese: 上海爱乐乐团; pinyin: Shànghǎi Àiyuè Yuètuán) is a professional symphony orchestra based in Shanghai, China. It is under the administration of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Cu ...

Tonhalle Orchester Zurich Tonhalle is a German word meaning "tone hall", a concert hall. It may refer to: *Tonhalle Düsseldorf *Tonhalle Orchester Zürich *Tonhalle, Zürich The Tonhalle is a concert hall in Zurich, home to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, one of Switzer ...

, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne,

Vienna Chamber Orchestra The Vienna Chamber Orchestra (Wiener Kammer Orchester, or WKO) is an Austrian chamber orchestra based at the Vienna Konzerthaus. History The WKO was founded in 1946, and its first artistic directors were Franz Litschauer, Heinrich Hollreiser, Pa ...

and Zurich Chamber Orchestra. He has performed at international music festivals including Busoni Festival,

International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo The International Chamber Music Festival of Cervo was inaugurated in 1964, the brainchild of the renowned Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh. It is held every July and August in the picturesque church square of Cervo, a small, ancient town in Lig ...

, Musikdorf Ernen, Lucerne Festival,

Menuhin Festival Menuhin or Menuchin is the surname of: *Hephzibah Menuhin (1920–1981), American-Jewish concert pianist *Joel Ryce-Menuhin (1933–1998), Jungian psychologist *Linda Menuhin (born 1950), Iraqi-born Israeli journalist, editor, and blogger * ...

, Menton Festival, Montreux Festival, Piano Festival Ruhr, Seoul Arts Center Orchestra Festival, Hong Kong Joy of Music Festival and Wuhan International Piano Festival. Numerous invitations led him on the international concert stages, e.g. Konzerthaus Berlin, Louvre Museum, KKL Lucerne,

Meistersingerhalle Meistersingerhalle is the municipal culture and congress centre of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is named after the tradition of the Meistersinger (Master singers) in the town, which Wagner reflected in his opera ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnber ...

Nuremberg,

Tonhalle Zurich Tonhalle is a German word meaning "tone hall", a concert hall. It may refer to: *Tonhalle Düsseldorf *Tonhalle Orchester Zürich *Tonhalle, Zürich The Tonhalle is a concert hall in Zurich, home to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, one of Switzer ...

and

Konzerthaus Vienna The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

. A chamber musician, he is a member of the piano trio Beethoven Trio Bonn with violinist Mikhail Ovrutsky and cellist Grigory Alumyan and performs in various chamber music concerts.

International awards

* 2001: 2nd Prize, Audience Prize, Sendai International Music Competition * 2005: 1st Prize, Scarlatti Prize and Orchestra Prize, International Pianoforte Competition Cologne * 2008: 1st Prize,

Hong Kong International Piano Competition The Hong Kong International Piano Competition was first held in 2005. It is organized by the Chopin Society of Hong Kong. Its Honorary President, Vladimir Ashkenazy, serving as the jury's chairman. The Hong Kong International Piano Competition is ...

* 2009: 1st Prize, Audience Prize, Schumann Prize,

Prize, Concours Géza Anda

Discography

* 2009: Live recording from the Concours Géza Anda 2009 * 2011: Hiller-Mendelssohn-Chopin Making Music Among Friends, recorded with both antique and modern Steinway pianos, The Alpha Omega Sound * 2015: Schumann: Piano Sonatas for the Young, Op. 118 / 5 Gesänge der Frühe, Naxos * 2017: Georgy Sviridov, recorded with the Beethoven Trio Bonn, Avi-Service for Music

Other career

Piano technique and manufacturing

In addition to his concert career, Jinsang worked for Steinway Austria and Steinway Hamburg to learn piano techniques and the manufacturing process. He worked at Steinway Austria for 2 years under the guidance of piano technician Stefan Knüpfer (featured in the docu-movie "

Pianomania ''Pianomania'' is a 2009 German-Austrian documentary film by directors Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis. The film presents Stefan Knüpfer, a virtuoso piano tuner from the piano company Steinway & Sons, in his work with pianists such as Lang Lang, A ...

") while conducting his concert career at the same time. Subsequently, he moved to Steinway Hamburg to learn the piano manufacturing process to better understand the mechanism that makes the delicate sound of the piano.

Writing

In 2015-2016, Jinsang has written monthly columns titled "Pianomania!" for Korean music magazine "The Piano" about his insights on piano techniques through the eyes of a concert pianist. Since 2018, he has been writing monthly columns for the

Seoul Shinmun ''The Seoul Shinmun'' (translating to The Seoul Newspaper) is the oldest daily newspaper in South Korea with more than a century of publication. Its original name was ''Daehan Maeil Sinbo'' (''The Korea Daily News''), which was started on July 1 ...

newspaper in Korea.

References

External links

Jinsang Lee Official website

Beethoven Trio Bonn Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Jinsang 1981 births Living people People from Seoul South Korean classical pianists South Korean expatriates in Germany Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni 21st-century classical pianists