Pianist releases first album after winning Van Cliburn competition

By Yun Suh-young

Sunwoo Yekwon/ Courtesy of Ralph Lauer

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, who won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition on June 10 in Fort Worth, Texas, will release his first digital album on June 23.

Sunwoo's recording includes his performance in the 15th Van Cliburn competition. The winner's album is called the “Cliburn Gold 2017.” It will go on sale in August.

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is a quadrennial event established by renowned pianist Van Cliburn of the United States in 1962 and is held at Cliburn’s hometown, Fort Worth. Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow.

Sunwoo won the competition with a rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. He will receive a $50,000 prize, as well as three years of performance and recording opportunities across the U.S. and sponsored attire from Neiman Marcus.

The pianist, 28, was among 30 finalists at the competition that was whittled down from 290 applicants. The Asia preliminary was held in Seoul in January, and in May, 30 finalists from 15 countries were chosen to perform in the final round. Previous winners include Radu Lupu, Olga Kern and Tsujii Nobuyuki. Korean pianist Son Yeol-eom was runner-up in the 2009 competition.

Sunwoo's album will be released by the Decca Gold Label Series of Universal Music. It includes his four performances from the preliminary round: Haydn's Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI 48, Schubert's Litany (Litanei auf das Fest aller Seelen, D. 343), Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36, and Hamelin's Toccata on “L’homme arme"; one from the quarterfinals: Ravel's La Valse, M.72; and one from the semifinals: Grainger's Ramble on the Last Love-Duet from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.

Sunwoo earned his bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music, his master’s at the Juilliard School, and studied with Richard Goode at the Mannes School of Music. He now studies under Bernd Goetzke in Hanover.

Sunwoo won first prizes at the 2015 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt, the 2014 Vendome Prize held at the Verbier Festival, the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition and the 2012 William Kapell International Piano Competition.