MUSIC
South Korean pianist Yeon-Min Park's nationwide SA tour a grand success
KCC
June 2023
One of the most prominent emerging artists from South Korea pianist Yeon-min Park, who rose to fame as she won the runner-up at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition last year, completed her nationwide month-long tour in major cities across South Africa in June.
The tour was organized by the Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa as part of their continuous efforts to introduce Korean culture to South Africa by presenting various artists from South Korea. Park became the first Korean musician to tour all four major cities in South Africa, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, and Durban, and received enthusiastic responses from the audiences through a total of six concerts.
Park made a debut in 2014 with the Kumho Young Artist Concert, a prestigious concert series in Seoul in which numerous renowned musicians made their debuts, and has since won prestigious competitions such as the Palma d'Oro International Piano Competition, Luciano Luciani International Piano Competition, Darmstadt International Chopin Competition, Lyon International Piano Competition, and George Enescu Music Competition. In particular, she gained more international recognition as she won the runner-up at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious piano competitions, as well as winning the Audience Award.
Park met with South African audiences in solo recitals and performances with major South African orchestras such as the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, leaving a memorable impression with her powerful virtuoso and delicate expressions. The reception of the audiences was so enthusiastic that an additional solo recital performance and a master class had been added in Durban during the tour.
Park is scheduled to perform at the Seoul Arts Center at the end of June for a solo concert, and has already around 50 concerts planned this year alone in countries including Ecuador, France, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
The Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa plans to continue to present various Korean artists from different fields to South Africa. Fore more details on the future events, visit their website at https://sa.korean-culture.org/en.