Minsoo Sohn, Piano

Biography

Pianist Minsoo Sohn "...is an artist, a man who will create a life in music, find listeners, and reward them," says The Boston Globe's Richard Dyer. First Laureate of the 2006 Honens International Piano Competition, Sohn's masterful technique and astonishing artistic expression create performances rich in deep emotion and musical intelligence. His notable interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations from the Honens Competition has been broadcast numerous times on CBC and across the United States on NPR's Performance Today.

Minsoo Sohn was born in Korea and began piano studies at age three. One of his earliest inspirations was Henryk Szeryng's legendary recording of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. While the violin first captured his attention, he grew to appreciate the piano's many voices and tonal colors. It wasn't until Sohn moved to Boston to study with Russell Sherman and Wha Kyung Byun at the New England Conservatory of Music that he was reassured of his career as concert artist. "I just wasn't sure I would be a musician," he says. "I had interests in many fields and stopped playing for a few years."

In addition to his win at the Honens Competition, he was a top prize winner at the Rubinstein, Cleveland, Busoni and Hilton Head International Piano Competitions, and received laureate prizes at Belgium's Queen Elisabeth and Santander's Paloma O'Shea Competitions. He has performed at recital halls and festivals across North America and has appeared with orchestra across the United States and Europe. Sohn makes his first CD recording in early 2008. When not sitting at the piano, Sohn can be found watching his beloved Red Sox.