Pianist Cho Seong-jin to embark on US tour
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Pianist Cho Seong-jin peforms during a gala concert featuring the winners of the 17th Chopin piano competition at the Seoul Arts Center. / Courtesy of Credia
By Yun Suh-young
Pianist Cho Seong-jin, winner of last year’s world-renowned International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, will be debuting in the United States with a nationwide tour starting next week.
This is his first performance in the U.S. since winning the 17th Chopin competition. Cho studied at the Paris Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique and had mostly performed in Europe. He has lived in Paris since 2012.
Cho will be performing with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra during the U.S. tour from Oct. 21 through Nov. 7 in 14 cities. The highlight of the tour is on Oct. 24 at the Lincoln Center in New York.
Performing arts management and production agency Columbia Artists Management told Yonhap News it will be "a preview opportunity ahead of Cho's solo concert at Carnegie Hall in New York next February."
Before the tour on Oct. 19, Cho will begin by introducing himself to Korean residents in New Jersey by holding a solo recital at the Bergen Performing Arts Center. He is planning to play Alan Berg's piano sonata, Shubert's piano sonata No. 19, and Chopin's four ballads.
At the Lincoln Center on Oct. 24, he will be showcasing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Warsaw Philharmonic. Cho played the work during the final round of the Chopin competition which is also listed on his album. During the Lincoln Center concert, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Polish composer Mieczysław Weinberg's Symphony No. 4 and Brahms' Tragic overture Op.81. This is the Warsaw Philharmonic's first U.S. tour since conductor Jacek Kaspszyk took the helm in 2013 and its fourth U.S. tour after 2004, 2008, and 2012.
Cho and the Warsaw Philharmonic's October tour schedule include Purchase, New York on Oct. 21; Storrs, Connecticut on Oct. 22; New Brunswick, New Jersey on Oct. 23; Troy, New York on Oct. 26; Lewisburg, Pennsylvania on Oct. 27; University Park, Pennsylvania on Oct. 28; Greenvale, New York on Oct. 29; and Amherst, Massachusetts on Oct. 30. At the Amherst concert, Cho will perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3.
Starting November, the ensemble will tour the Western part of the nation starting with Tuscon, Arizona on Nov. 2, Scottsdale on Nov. 3, Aliso Viejo, California on Nov. 4, San Francisco on Nov. 6, and Santa Barbara on Nov. 7.
Cho's U.S. tour is part of the cultural event, "Korea in New York," organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York and the Korean Cultural Center, New York. The organizations designated the months from September through November as a period for promoting Korean culture locally. There will be about 30 events related to Korean culture.
Cho's latest studio recording by Deutsche Grammophon will be released Nov. 25.