Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Pianists Cho Seong-jin, Yiruma to perform in celebration of World Piano Day
By Park Ji-won
Logo for a virtual festival to mark World Piano Day by Universal Music / Courtesy of Universal Music
By Park Ji-won
A free online concert featuring pianists Cho Seong-jin and Yiruma will be shown online at 11 p.m., KST, Sunday, to mark World Piano Day which falls on the same day.
Under the theme, “Abandoned Pianos,” the 150-minute video showing up to 17 pianists will be available free on Deutsche Grammophon's (DG) YouTube channel for 72 hours after its release, showing them performing in multiple concert halls this year that had not been used due to the hiatus created by the infectious disease.
In addition to Cho and Yiruma, renowned pianists Lang Lang, Balmorhea, Jan Lisiecki, Maria Joao Pires, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Rudolf Buchbinder, Daniil Trifonov, Katia & Marielle Labeque, Joep Beving, Alice Sara Ott, Kit Armstrong, Rui Massena and Chad Lawson will play iconic classics and contemporary works, Universal Music said in a press release.
Cho will play Chopin's Impromptu No. 1, while Yiruma provides his three pieces, including the romantic “Room with a View.”
Last year, Cho appeared in a livestreamed concert from home to mark the day amid the pandemic. He performed with baritone Matthias Goerne.
World Piano Day was founded in 2015 by German musician Nils Frahm. It takes place on the 88th day of every year, symbolizing the number of keys on a full-sized piano.