William Baum Piano Residency: Prof. HieYon Choi, Peabody Conservatory

Saturday, April 3, 2027
2:00 p.m.
Allendale Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff, Students

William Baum Piano Residency: Prof. HieYon Choi, Peabody Conservatory
Recital: 4/3, 2pm
Masterclass: 4/3, 4:30pm

*This residency is generously supported by William Baum Endowment Fund

South Korean pianist HieYon Choi has established herself as one of the foremost Beethoven interpreters of her generation, having completed two full cycles of the 32 piano sonatas across four continents. A prizewinner at the Kapell, Epinal, Busoni, and Viotti International Competitions, she has appeared as soloist with major orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), Northern Sinfonia, Rundfunkorchester Berlin, Seoul Philharmonic, and Korean Broadcast Symphony, and has performed at leading festivals and concert series across Europe, the United States, and Asia.

A defining achievement of her career was the four-year cycle of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul (2002-05), which earned her the 2003 Nanpa Music Award and the 2005 Arts Award of the Year. She subsequently undertook a second complete sonata cycle presented across Korea, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, and the United States, concluding in 2018, alongside cycles of the piano trios, violin sonatas, and works for cello and piano.

A sought-after chamber musician, Choi has collaborated with distinguished artists including cellists Truls Mørk and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, violinists Ulf Wallin and Jennifer Koh, and hornist Stephan Dohr, among others. Alongside the classical canon, she is deeply engaged with contemporary repertoire, including works by Messiaen, Kurtág, Gubaidulina, and Unsuk Chin, with appearances at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series and Seoul Philharmonic Ars Nova.

Choi's complete recording of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, recorded at Teldex Studio Berlin from 2015 to 2023, was released by Decca Korea (UMG) in 2025. Her discography also includes Debussy: Douze Études, Liszt: Six Grandes Études de Paganini, and Chopin: Études Op. 10 & 25.

Choi joined the piano faculty of Seoul National University in 1999, becoming one of its youngest professors. In 2023 she was appointed Professor of Piano at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She has given masterclasses at leading institutions worldwide and served on juries for international competitions including the Busoni, Beethoven (Vienna), Maj Lind, and Orléans competitions.

Born in Incheon, South Korea, Choi studied with Joong-Won Koh before moving to Germany at eighteen, where she spent her formative years primarily in Berlin studying with Klaus Hellwig and Hans Leygraf at the Berlin University of the Arts. She later completed her studies with György SebQk at Indiana University. Berlin has remained central to her artistic life, and she has returned regularly for extended creative residencies devoted to performances, recordings, and artistic exchange with fellow musicians.

Location Information

Sherman Van Solkema Recital Hall

Download parking map for the Allendale Campus

Contact Information

Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance
616-331-3484

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This event was added to the calendar by Bridgett Vanderhoof (vandebri@gvsu.edu) on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 2:08 p.m.