Praised for her "flowing tones, poetic phrasing and heavenly singing melodies" (Cincinnati Inquirer), and “musical imagination and feel for complex textures that drew vivid images” (Washington Post), South Korean pianist Yoonie Han has won top prizes in distinguished international competitions and the highest accolades for her poetic performances in major concert halls in the U.S. and around the world.
In 2009, Yoonie Han was honored with the Gawon Music Award as the “most brilliant pianist aged 17 to 31 of any nationality who possesses the most promising potential for global prominence.” She is the first-prize winner of the Washington International Piano Competition, Fulbright Concerto Competition, World Piano Competition, Kosciuszko Chopin Competition, Juilliard’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Frederich Nordmann Piano Competition, Juilliard’s Chopin Piano Competition, Music Teachers’ National Association Piano Competition, and has garnered major prizes at the Helsinki Maj Lind International Piano Competition, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Prize, Concorso Pianistico Ettore Pozzoli Internaziole, and Valencia International Piano Competitions. Following her grand-prize award in the Korea National Music Competition in 2001, the Korean Ministry of Culture named her its “Most Promising Young Artist.” She is the recipient of “Brava!” award given by the Italian Academy Foundation, as well as an award from London Keyboard Trust.
Having made her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center at age 13, Ms. Han has since performed with the Berliner Symphoniker, Buffalo Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Miami Symphony, Gangnam Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Juilliard Symphony, New Jersey Festival, New Amsterdam, Presidential Symphony of Turkey, Hong Kong City Chamber, Hong Kong’s SAR Philharmonic, and Banff Festival Orchestras. She has played at such celebrated venues as at the Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Frick Collection, Symphony Space, Tanglewood Festival, Bergamo Festival in Italy, Salle Cortot in Paris, Hong Kong City Hall, and Sejong Performing Arts Center in Korea. In 2012-13, with the supports from Fulbright Foundation, she toured major Steinway Halls in the U.S. and Europe. Her debut album was released on Concert Artists label (2013), and she has released three albums with Steinway Records. Her ‘Love and Longing’ (2014) on Steinway Records made the Top 21 on the Billboard Classical Chart. Her second album, ‘Goyescas’ (2017), was released to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the composer, Enrique Granados. Her third album presents the complete ‘Le Rossignol Éperdu’ (2019) by Reynaldo Hahn. In 2020, she released ‘Hollywood Romance’ on Universal Records label. Her Piano Trio, Gloriosa, has released an album (2019) on the Centaur Records label.
Dr. Han received her Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, pursued her Artist Diploma from the University of Montreal, and completed her Doctorate from Stony Brook University.
She was an Assistant Professor of Piano and Artistic Events Coordinator at Bilkent University in Turkey in 2015-18. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the Istanbul International Piano Festival and Steinway Prize in Turkey. She worked as an Assistant Professor of Piano at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2018-23. From 2023, she is an Associate Professor of Art at New York University Shanghai.
Yoonie Han is a Steinway Artist and Steinway Honorary Teacher.
www.yooniehan.com
