HANS H. SUH

South Korea

Laureate of the 2019 China International Music Competition (Piano)

Specially-Invited Pianist for the Opening Concert of 2023 GMEL Violin Competition

Winner of the 1st Prize and three special prizes (Schumann Prize, Chamber Music Prize, and the Audience Prize at the Final Stage) at the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn 2021, Hans Suh has been performing at an international level for many decades.

Hans is a 1st-prize winner at many other international competitions such as the 2018 International German Piano Award in Frankfurt, and the 2016 Isang Yun International Music Competition, where he also received the “Isang Yun Special Prize.” His other top merits include 2013 Sendai International Music Competition (2nd Prize and silver medal), 2016 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition (Laureate), 2017 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition (2nd Prize), 2017 International Beethoven Competition Vienna (4th Prize and “Dr. Dichler Prize”), 2018 Rina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition (2nd Prize and Critiques’ Award), and 2019 G.B. Viotti International Music Competition (2nd Prize and Audience Award).

In the summer of 2013, Hans was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox MA, and in April 2014 he was invited to perform in a tour, both solo and concerto appearances, in Germany and Switzerland. He was invited to perform a recital at the IKIF (International Keyboard Institute & Festival) in July 2018. From 2019 and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he was invited as a soloist as well as a conductor at Music in PyeongChang (Great Mountains Festival), Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, and many other venues in Korea. In 2022, Hans came back to Bonn as not only a pianist but also a conductor and composer, performing his own work “Broadway for Piano”, which was commissioned by Deutsche Telekom AG, along with conducting the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. Most recently, he received the fellowship prize from Klavier Festival Ruhr and gave a debut recital in May 2023.

He had performed with world’s major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Halle, Orchestre National de Belgique, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonie Baden-Baden, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, working with renowned conductors as such as Kurt Masur, Ken-David Masur, Marin Alsop, Myung-Whun Chung, Pascal Verrot, and Hans Graf. Hans appeared in many solo piano concerts internationally in Korea, USA, Japan, Germany, and Italy. He had also participated in public masterclasses by prominent artists such as Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel, Garrick Ohlsson, Jeffrey Kahane, Daejin Kim, Peter Serkin, and Emanuel Ax.

Born in Seoul, Korea on May 22, 1990, Hans began playing piano at age four, and started composing at age five. At age seven, he won first prize in The Korea Times Music Competition, and also held his first piano solo recital. Subsequently, he performed a series of concerts and was featured on Korean national television numerous times. Hans moved to the United States at ten years old, and made his New York debut only one year later by winning the 2001 New York Philharmonic Young Artist Audition. He received his music education at the Mannes College of Music Preparatory Division from 2001 to 2009, where he studied piano with Prof. Yuri Kim and Prof. Vladimir Feltsman with full scholarship. Afterwards, Hans attended Columbia University, studying ancient history as a distinguished John Jay Scholar, while studying piano with Prof. Matti Raekallio and Prof. Emanuel Ax through the Juilliard Exchange Program. After finishing his Master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover studying with Prof. Olivier Gardon, he is now pursuing Konzertexamen degree with Prof. Arie Vardi.