Contestant

Born in 1995 in South Korea, Hyunji Kim currently resides in Berlin and Paris. She is pursuing the Diplôme d’Artiste Interprète in classical piano performance at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (CNSMDP), and the Artist Diploma in Piano at the Barenboim-Said Akademie under the tutelage of Sir András Schiff. Here, she likewise receives guidance from Daniel Barenboim.

Recipient of the France Excellence scholarship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, Hyunji Kim completed her Master’s studies in classical piano with Hortense Cartier-Bresson at CNSMDP. Before this, she studied with Hie-yon Choi at the Seoul National University.

In 2022, Hyunji Kim had the honor of participating in Murray Perahia’s Beethoven masterclasses followed by a concert in Munich, organised by G. Henle Verlag. Her new Beethoven album with the label Initiale will be released in 2024, recordings played on two fortepianos (Walter, Graf) and a modern piano. Notable mentors, including Klaus Hellwig, Dominique Merlet, Ewa Pobłocka, Dmitri Alexeev, Andrea Bonatta, Till Fellner, Jan Jiracek von Arnim, Yves Henry, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger and Daria Fadeeva, have provided invaluable advice throughout her journey.

As a soloist, Hyunji Kim is a prizewinner of numerous piano competitions in Korea and internationally, such as Concours d’Epinal, Saint-Petersburg White Nights Piano Competition, and Concours International d’Île-de-France where she received the Second Prize and the Special Prize from the Association Frédéric Chopin de Lyon. Under the aegis of the latter, she was invited to perform at the Salle Molière in Lyon for the season 2022/2023, where she gave a solo recital dedicated to Chopin.

From her debut at the age of 13 with the National Symphony Orchestra of Seoul, Hyunji Kim has graced renowned venues worldwide, including Philharmonie de Paris, La Seine Musicale, Petit Palais, Musée Guimet, La Scala Paris, Archives Nationales, Théâtre de l’Alliance Française à Paris, Château de Lourmarin, Château de la Petite Malmaison, and the France Embassy in South Korea. She is also regularly invited at distinguished festivals such as Festival Colmar, Musique à la Prée, Festival Nohant, and Lumière d’Europe, and she has been featured on the esteemed radio broadcast Génération France Musique.

Beyond her solo pursuits, Hyunji Kim is deeply passionate about chamber music, collaborating with Gary Hoffman and Philippe Jaroussky.