PHOTO of the WEEK

Photo by Norbert De La Cruz III

Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a gifted, sensitive young pianist who is clearly going places,” 22-year-old Korean pianist Ji-Yong has a compelling musical presence and a career that began when, at ten, he was the youngest pianist to win the New York Philharmonic’s Young Artists Competition, and subsequently played at Avery Fisher Hall under Maestro Kurt Masur. A Winner of the 2012 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Ji-Yong makes his debut recitals in New York at Merkin Hall and Washington, DC at the Kennedy Center this season.  Ji-Yong has recorded two CDs: Bach Exhibition (Credia) and Lisztomania (Universal Music).  Highly regarded in his native Korea, Ji-Yong appeared as soloist with the BBC Symphony under Jirí Belohlávek at Korea’s first outdoor classical concert; performed with world-renowned ballerina, Sue Jin Kang and dancers from the Stuttgart Ballet; and has played at the Thailand Cultural Center in the “Great Artists of the World 2012” series.  Ji-Yong began playing the piano at age five. At nine, he came to the United States to study at the Music Preparatory Division of Mannes College with Yuri Kim, and later at the Juilliard School’s Pre-College with Yoheved Kaplinsky. He is currently at the Juilliard School, where he works with Choong-Mo Kang

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