‘Completely honest, with no fear’: pianist Minsoo Sohn – teacher of prodigy Yunchan Lim – on his approach to music, and South Korea’s growing classical music scene
- Minsoo Sohn comes from a musical family and does not remember when he first started playing – “When I woke up, I was playing the piano”
- The pianist, who will perform in the 2024 Hong Kong Arts Festival, reflects on South Korea’s classical music scene and his role as a teacher to young musicians
South Korean pianist Minsoo Sohn takes people on a journey of profound emotions when he performs.
The stage is unadorned – it is just Sohn in his plain black suit and the piano – but his presence fills the space the moment he hits that first note.
His intense focus and seriousness towards his calling can be felt even from the second tier of seating in the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul, South Korea, which holds more than 2,000 people.
More is revealed when Sohn speaks about his art. He talks slowly and calmly – quite unlike his explosive playing at the keyboard.
“I consider all those great composers as a gift from God to humanity. I think it’s a miraculous thing that they left us so much unbelievably beautiful music. Like classics in books and so many different fields, there is always something left for us to discover, especially in art.”
