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About Pianist Klara Min

Pianist Klara Min is an eloquent and sensitive musician recognized for her “lovely, nuanced tone, genuine expressiveness, excellent technique, exuberance and vitality” (New York Concert Review). A native of South Korea, Ms. Min made her New York recital debut in 2002 at Weill Recital Hall as winner of the Artists International Competition, in which she performed the world premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Piano Etudes and the New York premiere of Pippa’s Song by American composer Henry Martin.

Ms. Min has performed extensively throughout North America, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and in her native South Korea, in some of the world’s most important concert venues, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall, New York, Gasteig Hall, Munich, Berlin Philharmonie Hall, and KBS Broadcast Hall in Seoul, South Korea. She has performed with several orchestras including the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Symfonieorchester Berlin, Armenian Symphony Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, New York Sinfonietta, American Chamber Orchestra, among others.

In July, 2011, Ms. Min’s first solo recording, Ripples on Water, was released by Naxos, featuring solo piano works by Korean composers. Allmusic.com praised the recording, stating, “She doesn’t miss a note... Klara Min has done a worthy job of tackling challenging music by the leading composers of her homeland.” Stephen Estep with American Record Guide wrote, “Min plays with the most ravishing piano tone… Her dynamic control is out of this world—anyone who can make silk out of dissonance this strong is a top-notch artist in my book.” Selections from the CD have been featured on WNYC and WFMT/Chicago.

In August, 2011, Ms. Min made her Chicago recital debut on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, broadcast live on WFMT/Chicago. For her 2011-2012 season, Ms. Min will appear in several concerts throughout the New York area, perform the Schumann Piano Concerto as guest soloist with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra in Alaska, and film a new solo recital DVD. Other notable performances include a 2010 solo recital at the United Nations at the invitation of the Korean Ambassador, and a 2008 performance of John Corigliano’s Piano Concerto with New York Concert Artists, for which Ms. Min is the founder and artistic director. With NYCA, she has produced annual concert series as well as given performances that have been featured in International Piano Magazine, The Korea Times, Yamaha’s Accent Magazine and Time Out New York. In 2007, Ms. Min commissioned and premiered Capriccio for Piano and Ten Instruments by Robert Sirota. Ms. Min’s performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra was filmed and broadcast in South Korea on the SBS Television Network.

Competition prizes have included a Grand Prize and Schumann Award at the 2006 IBLA Grand Prize International Competition and a “Best Performance of Mozart Prize” at the Viotti-Valsesia International Piano Competition in Italy. She was also the recipient of a Samsung scholarship.

Born into a musical family in Seoul, Ms. Min began piano studies with her composer mother. Following studies at the Seoul Arts High School, Ms. Min completed her bachelors and masters degrees in piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Byron Janis and Sara Buechner. In 2006, Ms. Min earned the prestigious Aufbaustudium-Konzertexamen in piano performance with pianist James Tocco at the Luebeck Musikhochschule in Germany.

Klara Min is a Yamaha Artist.

www.klaramin.com

Updated: OCTOBER 2011