Dong-Hyek Lim
Encyclopedia
Dong-Hyek Lim is a South Korean classical pianist. Lim has previously studied with Arie Vardi
at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Hannover and received the Samsung Culture Scholarship and the Ezoe Scholarship. He currently studies with Emanuel Ax
at the Juilliard School
.
, who is also an acclaimed young pianist. He won the Grand Prix at the Hanguk Daily Newspaper Competition and was chosen the year's best young pianist by the Korean Children Association at the age of 9. In 1994, he moved to Moscow
to study at the Moscow Central Music School. He graduated in 1998 and became the youngest student in the history of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory
and continued his studies there with Professor Lev Naumov
. At age 11, he gave a recital attended by the orthodox Patriarch Alexius II
and performed in front of the Russian President Boris Yeltsin
.
in Italy http://www.concorsobusoni.it/News/en/94/1987/14799.aspx and won second prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
in Japan.
In December 2001, he became the youngest winner of the Premier Grand Prix in the history of the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition
in Paris and also five other special awards.
Lim created controversy in 2003 upon his refusal of his third prize placement in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
in Brussels
, stating that the judging wasn't fair. The third place prize was consequently 'unawarded' for the first time since the establishment of the competition in 1938, and Lim's name and placement is missing from the laureat's page on the official web site.
Lim participated in the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in October 2005 and shared the third prize his elder brother Dong-Min Lim
, with no second prize being awarded. He then placed fourth with fellow contestant Sergei Sobolev in the 13th International Tchaikovsky Competition
in Moscow in June 2007, where no first prize was awarded.
, Small and Great Halls of the Moscow State Conservatory, Salle Pleyel
and Salle Cortot
in Paris, the Lazienki Palace
in Warsaw, the Konzerthaus
in Berlin
, Wigmore Hall
in London, and the Philharmonic Hall in Beppu, Japan. He has also participated in renowned festivals such as Verbier
in Switzerland
, Klavier-Festival Ruhr in Germany, the 57th International Chopin Festival in Poland, Festival de Radio France et Montpellier
, Piano aux Jacobins festival in France and Martha Argerich
’s Festival http://www.rsi.ch/argerich/welcome.cfm?lng=1 in Lugano
.
He also appeared with reputable orchestras: the NHK Symphony Orchestra
under Charles Dutoit
, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov
, the Orchestre National de France
under Kurt Masur
, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
under Lawrence Foster
and Myung-Whun Chung
, the National Orchestra of Belgium
under Alexander Dmitriev, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
under Jiri Belohlavek
, the European Union Youth Orchestra
under Vladimir Ashkenazy
, the Northern Sinfonia
under Thomas Zehetmair
, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra
, the New Japan Philharmonic
and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
.
In May 2001, Lim became the youngest pianist ever to make a recording contract with EMI
Classics. He received the Diapason d'Or
award in France for his debut album of Chopin
, Schubert
, and Ravel
under the "Martha Argerich Presents" series, released in June 2002. His second recording for EMI, featuring Chopin's B minor Sonata and other minor works, released in 2004, was awarded the Choc Prize by Le Monde de la Musique. His third album of Bach
's Goldberg Variations and the Bach-Busoni Chaconne in D Minor was released in August, 2008 under EMI
.
Lim will be participating in the Ditto Festival, a classical music festival in Seoul with a duo recital with Gautier Capuçon
in June, 2010.
in her honor at his recital at the Seoul Arts Center
in February, 2010.
Arie Vardi
Arie Vardi is an Israeli classical pianist and piano pedagogue.He is currently teaching at the Buhmann-Mehta Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover and at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine...
at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Hannover and received the Samsung Culture Scholarship and the Ezoe Scholarship. He currently studies with Emanuel Ax
Emanuel Ax
Emanuel Ax is a Grammy-winning American classical pianist. He is currently a teacher on the faculty of the Juilliard School. He is considered one of the best known concert pianists of the 21st century.-Early life:...
at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
Childhood
Lim first began to study piano at the age of seven, following in the footsteps of his elder brother Dong-Min LimDong-Min Lim
Dong-Min Lim is a South Korean classical pianist. He and his brother Dong-Hyek Lim won third prize at the 2005 International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Dong Min Lim studied at the Moscow Conservatory, at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and at Mannes College...
, who is also an acclaimed young pianist. He won the Grand Prix at the Hanguk Daily Newspaper Competition and was chosen the year's best young pianist by the Korean Children Association at the age of 9. In 1994, he moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to study at the Moscow Central Music School. He graduated in 1998 and became the youngest student in the history of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
and continued his studies there with Professor Lev Naumov
Lev Naumov
Lev Nikolayevich Naumov was a Russian classical pianist, composer and educator. Received a title of People's Artist of Russia and was nicknamed the "Godfather of the Russian piano school"....
. At age 11, he gave a recital attended by the orthodox Patriarch Alexius II
Patriarch Alexius II
Patriarch Alexy II was the 15th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church....
and performed in front of the Russian President Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
.
Awards
Lim has been the recipient of many prominent awards. In September 1996, he took second prize in the Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in Moscow http://www.chopin.pl/other_competitions.en.html and received much international attention by being the youngest participant in the competition and by placing with his elder brother Dong-Min Lim who tied for first prize. In 2000, Lim placed fifth at the International Busoni Piano CompetitionFerruccio Busoni International Piano Competition
The Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition is a music competition for young pianists that takes place in Bolzano, Italy.-History: The first Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition was organized by Cesare Nordio in 1949 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the death of pianist and...
in Italy http://www.concorsobusoni.it/News/en/94/1987/14799.aspx and won second prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
The Hamamatsu International Piano Competition has been held every 3 years since 1991 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.-Top prize winners:* 2009 — Cho Seong Jin, South Korea* 2006 — Alexej Gorlatch* 2003 — Rafal Blechacz and Alexander Kobrin...
in Japan.
In December 2001, he became the youngest winner of the Premier Grand Prix in the history of the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition
Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition
The Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists and violinists that has operated in France since 1943. It was created by the pianist Marguerite Long and the violinist Jacques Thibaud...
in Paris and also five other special awards.
Lim created controversy in 2003 upon his refusal of his third prize placement in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, stating that the judging wasn't fair. The third place prize was consequently 'unawarded' for the first time since the establishment of the competition in 1938, and Lim's name and placement is missing from the laureat's page on the official web site.
Lim participated in the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in October 2005 and shared the third prize his elder brother Dong-Min Lim
Dong-Min Lim
Dong-Min Lim is a South Korean classical pianist. He and his brother Dong-Hyek Lim won third prize at the 2005 International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Dong Min Lim studied at the Moscow Conservatory, at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and at Mannes College...
, with no second prize being awarded. He then placed fourth with fellow contestant Sergei Sobolev in the 13th International Tchaikovsky Competition
International Tchaikovsky Competition
The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow, Russia for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 30 years of age, and singers between 19 and 32 years of age...
in Moscow in June 2007, where no first prize was awarded.
Performing and recording career
Lim has performed in many venues including the Seoul Arts CenterSeoul Arts Center
The Seoul Arts Center, literally the Hall of Arts, is a cultural center in Seocho-gu, the southern area of Seoul, South Korea.Measuring in 12,0350 m², it consists of many different halls and centers for many diverse art forms. It began construction in 1984, and opened all its doors in 1993...
, Small and Great Halls of the Moscow State Conservatory, Salle Pleyel
Salle Pleyel
The Salle Pleyel is a concert hall in Paris, France. The resident ensembles are the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.-History and Design:...
and Salle Cortot
École Normale de Musique de Paris
The École Normale de Musique de Paris is a leading conservatoire located in Paris, France. The school was founded by Auguste Mangeot and pianist Alfred Cortot in 1919...
in Paris, the Lazienki Palace
Lazienki Palace
The Łazienki Palace —in English, the Baths Palace; also called the Palace on the Water, or Water Palace , and the Palace on the Isle —is a Neoclassical palace in Warsaw's Royal Baths Park.-History:...
in Warsaw, the Konzerthaus
Konzerthaus Berlin
The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of Berlin housing the German orchestra Konzerthausorchester Berlin...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in London, and the Philharmonic Hall in Beppu, Japan. He has also participated in renowned festivals such as Verbier
Verbier
Verbier is a village located in southwestern Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is one of the largest holiday resort and ski areas in the Swiss Alps, is recognized as one of the premiere "off-piste" locations in the world...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Klavier-Festival Ruhr in Germany, the 57th International Chopin Festival in Poland, Festival de Radio France et Montpellier
Festival de Radio France et Montpellier
The Festival de Radio France et Montpellier is a summer festival of opera and music held in Montpellier, France created in 1985. The music festival concentrates on classical music and jazz with about 100 events, including opera, concerts, films, and talks, most of which are free and located in the...
, Piano aux Jacobins festival in France and Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
’s Festival http://www.rsi.ch/argerich/welcome.cfm?lng=1 in Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
.
He also appeared with reputable orchestras: the NHK Symphony Orchestra
NHK Symphony Orchestra
The in Tokyo, Japan began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. Later, it changed its name to Japan Symphony Orchestra and in 1951, after receiving financial support from NHK, it took its current name...
under Charles Dutoit
Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov
Yuri Temirkanov
Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov is a Russian conductor of Circassian origin.Yuri Temirkanov has been the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic since 1988.-Early life:...
, the Orchestre National de France
Orchestre National de France
The Orchestre national de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française and Orchestre national de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...
under Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a French radio orchestra providing music for Radio France. It specializes in contemporary music and was founded in 1937.- Names of the orchestra :*Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France...
under Lawrence Foster
Lawrence Foster
Lawrence Foster is an American conductor.He became the conductor of the San Francisco Ballet at the age of 18, and served as Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta...
and Myung-Whun Chung
Myung-Whun Chung
Myung-whun Chung is a South Korean pianist and conductor.His sisters, violinist Kyung-wha Chung, and cellist Myung-wha Chung, and he at one time performed together as the Chung Trio. He was a joined second-prize winner in the 1974 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Chung studied conducting at...
, the National Orchestra of Belgium
National Orchestra of Belgium
The Nationaal Orkest van België or Orchestre National de Belgique is the oldest of two major orchestras now in Belgium, along with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège....
under Alexander Dmitriev, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
under Jiri Belohlavek
Jirí Belohlávek
Jiří Bělohlávek is a Czech conductor. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth Bělohlávek studied cello with Miloš Sádlo and was later a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
, the European Union Youth Orchestra
European Union Youth Orchestra
The European Union Youth Orchestra is a training orchestra for young people in the European Union. It is funded centrally by the European Union and by a number of EU member states...
under Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
, the Northern Sinfonia
Northern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
under Thomas Zehetmair
Thomas Zehetmair
Thomas Zehetmair is an Austrian violinist and conductor. He studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum, where both of his parents taught. His festival debut was at age 16. He was in master classes with Nathan Milstein and Max Rostal....
, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Moscow Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1989, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra comprises 80 musicians, including graduates from such institutions as the Moscow Conservatory, Kiev Conservatory, and Saint Petersburg Conservatory. The orchestra is produced by Stas Namin, and conduced by Konstantin Krimets. It has recorded over 100...
, the New Japan Philharmonic
New Japan Philharmonic
The is a symphony orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1972 with Seiji Ozawa as honorary conductor laureate. The Philharmonic's primary concert venue is the Sumida Triphony Hall. Since 2003, its music director is Christian Arming....
and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is the leading symphony orchestra in Israel. It was originally known as the Palestine Orchestra, and in Hebrew as התזמורת הסימפונית הארץ ישראלית The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit...
.
In May 2001, Lim became the youngest pianist ever to make a recording contract with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Classics. He received the Diapason d'Or
Diapason d'Or
The Diapason d'Or is a recommendation of outstanding classical music recordings given by reviewers of Diapason magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the British Gramophone magazine....
award in France for his debut album of Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, and Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
under the "Martha Argerich Presents" series, released in June 2002. His second recording for EMI, featuring Chopin's B minor Sonata and other minor works, released in 2004, was awarded the Choc Prize by Le Monde de la Musique. His third album of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Goldberg Variations and the Bach-Busoni Chaconne in D Minor was released in August, 2008 under EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
.
Lim will be participating in the Ditto Festival, a classical music festival in Seoul with a duo recital with Gautier Capuçon
Gautier Capuçon
-Biography:Gautier Capuçon was born in Chambéry, Savoie, the youngest of three siblings. His brother is the violinist Renaud Capuçon.He started learning the cello when he was four years old...
in June, 2010.
Personal life
In November 2009, Lim's mother suddenly passed away while he was on tour in Malaysia. He played Ravel's Pavane for a Dead PrincessPavane pour une infante défunte
Pavane pour une infante défunte is a well-known piece written for solo piano by the French composer Maurice Ravel in 1899 when he was studying composition at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Fauré. Ravel also published an orchestrated version of the Pavane in 1910...
in her honor at his recital at the Seoul Arts Center
Seoul Arts Center
The Seoul Arts Center, literally the Hall of Arts, is a cultural center in Seocho-gu, the southern area of Seoul, South Korea.Measuring in 12,0350 m², it consists of many different halls and centers for many diverse art forms. It began construction in 1984, and opened all its doors in 1993...
in February, 2010.