Yekwon Sunwoo has been hailed for his “unfailingly consistent excellence” (International  Piano) and celebrated as “a pianist who commands a comprehensive technical arsenal that  allows him to thunder without breaking a sweat” (Chicago Tribune). A powerful and  virtuosic performer, he also, in his own words, “strives to reach for the truth and pure  beauty in music.”

The first Korean Gold medallist of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition,  Yekwon’s 24/25 season includes appearances with Ann Arbor Symphony, New York Classical  Players, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Armenian Symphony as well as recitals at the  University of Michigan, Bechstein Hall and Carnegie Hall.

Recent highlights include concertos with the Macao, Kalamazoo & Victoria Symphonies, Slovak Philharmonic, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris as well as a US tour with the Esme  String Quartet.

In previous seasons, he has performed as a soloist with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev, Royal Danish Orchestra with Thomas Søndergard, Fort Worth and Tucson  Symphonies, Washington Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Houston  Symphony, National Orchestra of Belgium, Sendai Philharmonic and Royal Scottish National  Orchestra amongst others. Recital appearances include Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall,  Elbphilharmonie, Salle Cortot, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and a tour of Japan.

An avid chamber musician, Yekwon’s collaborators include Clara Jumi Kang, Sebastian  Bohren, Benjamin Beilman, Linus Roth, Andrei lonita, Sebastian Bohren, lsang Enders, Tobias  Feldmann, Gary HoAman, Anne-Marie McDermott and the Jerusalem and Brentano  Quartets. He has also toured Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama with the Kumho Asiana  Cultural Foundation and performed at Chamber Music of Lincoln Center’s Inside Chamber  Music Lectures.

In addition to the Cliburn Gold Medal, Yekwon won first prizes at the 2015 International  German Piano Award, the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival, the 2013 Sendai  International Music Competition and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano  Competition.

Born in Anyang, South Korea, Yekwon began learning the piano at the age of 8 and made his recital and orchestral debuts in Seoul at 15. His teachers include Seymour Lipkin, Robert McDonald, Richard Goode and Bernd Goetzke.

In September 2023, Yekwon released his second album for Decca Universal Music Korea featuring works by Rachmaninov following his first album in 2020 of works by Mozart. In  2017, Decca Gold released Cliburn Gold 2017 two weeks after Yekwon was awarded the

Gold Medal and includes his award-winning performances of Ravel’s La Valse and  Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Sonata.