City of residence : New York
South Korean pianist Saeyoon Chon won 1st prize at the 2018 Dublin International Piano Competition and has been a major prize winner at international piano competitions including Maria Canals, Vendome, Valencia, Hanoi, Los Angeles, Orford, Cooper, Isdor Basic, Seoul, and Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
He has performed at the Verbier Festival, where he received the prestigious Tabor Award for the best pianist in the soloist programs, and has also played in the Four Seasons, Orford, and Rockport Festivals. He will be joining the Ravinia Festival this summer.
Chon made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall and has given solo recitals at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Seoul Arts Center in Seoul, Koerner Hall in Toronto, National Concert Hall in Dublin, Hong Kong City Hall, and many others.
Chon first studied piano in his native South Korea with Hyoung-Joon Chang. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree on full scholarship at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, studying with John O’Conor. He also completed the Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School. During this period, Chon became a recipient of the prestigious Ihnatowycz Prize. He completed his master’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York with Robert McDonald.
Chon has performed with many orchestras including those of Cleveland, Seoul, Hong Kong, Valencia, Hilton Head, Astana, RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin, and many others.
Principal teachers
- Robert McDonald 2021-present
- John O’Conor 2015-2020
Major Competitions
- 4th prize, Concurs Internacional de Música Maria Canals de Barcelona, 2022
- 3rd prize, Vendome Prize for the Piano, Verbier Festival, 2019
- 1st prize, Dublin International Piano Competition, 2018
- 3rd prize, Los Angeles Piano Competition, 2018
Program
FIRST ROUND: RECITAL
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata in F major, Op. 10 No. 2
Allegro • Allegretto • Presto
Henri Dutilleux
Sonata
Choral et Variations
Franz Liszt
Rhapsodie espagnole, S. 254
Lento – Folies d’Espagne (Andante moderato) – Jota aragonesa (Allegro) – Un poco meno allegro – Sempre presto e fortissimo – Non troppo allegro
SEMIFINAL: CHAMBER MUSIC
Gabriel Fauré
Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 15
Allegro molto moderato
SEMIFINAL: RECITAL
Johann Sebastian Bach
The Well-Tempered Clavier
No. 16 Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 885
Claude Debussy
Images, deuxième série
Cloches à travers les feuilles • Poissons d’or
Barbara Assiginaak
Mzizaakok Miiniwaa Mzizaakoonsak (Horseflies and Deerflies)
Sergei Prokofiev
Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84
Andante dolce – Allegro moderato • Andante sognando • Vivace
FINAL: CONCERTO
Sergei Prokofiev
Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16
Andantino • Scherzo (Vivace) • Intermezzo (Allegro moderato) • Finale (Allegro tempestoso)
Adopt a Musician
The presence of Saeyoon Chon in Montreal
is generously supported by Pierre-Paul Jodoin
