Hyun-Jung LIM

H.J. Lim

One of Korea’s best kept secrets, H.J. Lim has arrived and redefines both the musical and physical boundaries of modern pianism. In November 2009, H.J. exploded onto the international music scene when a recital at the Stadtcasino Basel, which included Rachmaninov’s complete Etudes-Tableaux and Chopin’s complete Etudes, was uploaded to YouTube. The unprecedented online traffic which followed awoke a technologically lazy industry to the realisation that classical music audiences are now very much online – and H.J. Lim has captured their imagination.   

The current season includes performances at the Stadtcasino Basel, Dias da Musica de Belem in Lisbon, Sala Verdi in Milan, Sala Sao Paulo in Brazil with Sinfonica Heliopolis Orchestra and Roberto Tibiriça, Festival de Moulin d’Andé, Schloss Mirabell Festival in Salzburg, European Festival of Classical Music in Napoli, Bayreuth Easter Festival, De Rode Pomp Festival in Gent, and the Kamermuziek Houtland Festival in Bruges.

In August 2010, H.J. performed the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas over eight consecutive days in Paris. Upcoming recital and concerto appearances include her debut at the Zurich Tonhalle with Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio and Vladimir Fedoseyev and concerts with the Bilkent Symphony, Hofer Symphoniker, Orquestra Sinfónica Metropolitana, as well as return visits to Dias da Musica de Belem, the Bayreuther Osterfestival and her eagerly awaited Seoul recital debut. 

This twenty four year-old Korean pianist began her musical studies at the age of three under Jong-Sun Kim. Her prodigious talent was quickly recognised and she moved to France at the age of twelve. Five months later she graduated from the Conservatoire National Région de Compiègne with First Prize and highest distinction in the class of Marc Hoppeler. She became the youngest ever person to obtain the "Diplôme d'Etudes Musicales Complètes" of Normandy in France, aged fifteen.

Subsequently H.J. was awarded the "Perfectionnement Cycle” for chamber music and piano at the Conservatoire National de Rouen and she received First Prize and the highest distinction. 

H.J. Lim commenced her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris under Henri Barda in 2003 and three years later she graduated with First Prize and obtained the "Diplôme de Formation Supérieur", again, with highest distinctions. While there she studied conducting and was chosen to direct the Orchestre des Lauréats in works including Handel’s Alcina, Schoenberg’s Kammersymphonie Opus 9, Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 and Britten’s Les Illuminations.

In 2007, H.J. was awarded First Prize at the FLAME International Piano Competition in Paris by unanimous decision. 

H.J. Lim has resided in France since 1999.

2010/11 season only. Please contact HarrisonParrott if you wish to edit this biography.