Biography
…these are moments and expressions which come from the heart of a true musician…Remy Franck, chief editor, Pizzicato
…one can easily assume that he is soon going to be as much celebrated as his colleagues such as Lang Lang and Yundi Li… Corriere del Ticino, Switzerland
…stellar, full of ardent passion and intense poetry—a recording that promises much for his future…Fanfare Magazine
Pianist William Youn has been recognized as one of the most promising and unique pianist of the next generation.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Mr. Youn began playing the piano at the age of six. Since his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of eleven, William Youn has appeared regularly as a soloist with Orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, the Staatsorchester Halle, the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, the Belgian National Orchestra, and the Toronto Philharmonia among others, and has performed in world’s most prestigious venues including the Lincoln Center (New York City), the Disney Hall (LA), the Musikverein (Vienna), the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexiko City), the Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), and the Auditorio Nacional (Madrid).
His performances have been broadcasted by the Bavarian Radio Munich, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Radio Bremen, the National Public Radio Boston, the KBS Korea, and the Czech Radio.
After his early studies in Korea, Mr. Youn was accepted at the New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School and at the Walnut Hill School in Boston at the age of thirteen. After five years of his studies in Boston, Mr. Youn went on to study in Hannover, Germany, where he continued his musical education with Prof. Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Prof. Bernd Goetzke. From 2006 to 2009, William Youn was awarded a scholarship to study at the renowned International Piano Academy at Lake Como where he worked with musicians such as William Grant Nabore, the director of the Academy, Dmitri Bashkirov, Fou Ts’ong, Andreas Staier, Charles Rosen, and Menahem Pressler. He has also taken part in masterclasses by Andras Schiff, Christopf Eschenbach, and Yo Yo Ma.
Mr. Youn is a prizewinner at international competitions such as the Cleveland International Competition, the Concorso Alessandro Casagrande, the Shanghai Piano Competition, and was a finalist at the Busoni Competition, and the Concurs Reine Elisabeth, Brussels. Sony BMG Korea has released several recordings of Mr. Youn, including the Schumann Piano Concerto with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Mr.Youn’s newest recording of works of Schubert has been chosen as recommended recording by Bavarian Radio, MDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung. It also received 5 Diapasons from French Magazine “Diapason” and Supersonic Award from Magazine “Pizzicato”.
Recognized for his authentic and unique Chopin interpretation , Mr.Youn’s performance of Chopin has been compared to the legendary Dinu Lipatti by the Saarländischer Rundfunk of Germany.
In November, 2011, Mr. Youn was chosen to receive the prestigious “Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis” from the State of Bavaria, a prize given to young and promising artists.
