Yunchan Lim makes his hotly anticipated New York Philharmonic debut May 10-12. He will perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with conductor James Gaffigan.
“A one-in-a-million talent” (Dallas Morning News), Yunchan Lim captured international acclaim with his Gold Medal triumph at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. His performances showcased a “magical ability” and a “natural, instinctive quality” (La Scena) that astounded listeners around the world. Marin Alsop expressed: “Yunchan is that rare artist who brings profound musicality and prodigious technique organically together”. The depth of his artistry and connection to listeners also secured him the Audience Award and Best Performance of a New Work.
The 19-year-old Yunchan’s ascent to international stardom has been meteoric. His audacious Cliburn Semi-Final Round performance of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes “created a buzz throughout the international piano community”—his “intelligent virtuosity and total immersion into Liszt’s idiom truly defined transcendental” (Gramophone). And his final Cliburn Competition appearance with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 delivered the defining moment of the three-week event; as one critic noted: “The applause that followed was endless: a star had emerged before our eyes” (Seen and Heard International). The video of that performance trended globally on YouTube and has since been viewed more than 11 million times.
Highlights of this season include his inaugural tour as Cliburn winner will take him across four continents, including performances at the Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society, and Performing Arts Houston in the United States; Seoul Arts Center, National Concert Hall in Taipei, and the KBS and Korean National Symphony Orchestras in Asia; Wigmore Hall and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Europe.
Born in Siheung, Korea, Yunchan Lim began piano lessons at age 7. He auditioned for and was accepted into the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts at age 13, where he met his teacher and mentor, Minsoo Sohn, with whom he continues to study at the Korea National University of Arts.
For more information on Yunchan Lim’s New York Philharmonic debut, please visit nyphil.org
Photo: The Cliburn/Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
