Simply unforgettable, from its thundering opening chords to its electrifying finale. Pianist Hye-Jin Kim, praised by audiences for her “polished” and “expressive” performances, makes her BPO debut with one of the most popular piano concertos in history. JoAnn Falletta conducts. Come one hour prior to the start of the concert for “Musically Speaking,” sponsored by Uniland Development.

JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Hye-Jin Kim, piano

GEORGE TSONTAKIS Let the River be Unbroken
TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5

About HyeJin Kim

Praised by critics for her “passionate…polished and expressive” performances, pianist HyeJin Kim is one of South Korea’s most thrilling young classical stars. Born in Seoul, she began playing piano at age five, and later enrolled at the prestigious Yewon Arts School. She furthered her studies in Germany, earning her MA in Musical Art as a “Konzertexamen” (highest distinction) from Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler. She currently studies at the Colburn School in Los Angeles with Fabio Bidini. Ms. Kim first attracted international attention at age 17 when, as its youngest participant, she won third prize in Italy’s prestigious Busoni Competition.  Since then, Ms. Kim has received numerous awards including prizes at the 2008 Hong Kong International Piano Competition, the DAAD Prize, Steinway & Sons Advancement Award Competition, and at the Toronto International Piano Competition.

In 2014, she made her debut at the Klavierfestival Ruhr. She has performed and toured with numerous orchestras including the Praha Broadcast and Budapest symphony orchestras; Bohuslav Martinů, Seoul, Dae-jeon, Pilsen, and Moravian Philharmonic Orchestras; State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg; Nürnberger Symphoniker; the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie; and the Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester. She has worked with noted conductors including Tomáš Hanus, Dae Jin Kim, Jiri Malat, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada.
Ms. Kim made her major label debut in 2013 with her recording of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra under Eduard Topchjan, on Sony Classical. In  2016, Ms. Kim made her Carnegie Hall recital debut performing a program of Scarlatti, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Barber, and Gershwin and performed stunning Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin with Museique orchestra. Last season, Ms. Kim appeared in various venues such as Mozart K.466 with the Berlin Konzerthausorchester under the baton of Eliahu Inbal, Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Pacific Symphony and Carl St. Clair, debut with the Salastina Music Society playing chamber music, Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4 at the Marvão Music Festival in Portugal with Porto Symphony orchestra under the baton of Christoph Poppen and Rachmaninoff Piano concerto No.3 with Colburn Orchestra and Yehuda Gilad.