Participant of contest 2013

Platz-1

Soo-Jung Ann

Praised by the German music critic Marie-Louise Funk as „an inspiration beyond excellence, beyond time and space” (Die Rheinpfalz), Soo-Jung Ann has been crossing, expanding and recreating the boundaries of music. Ann established her career by winning numerous prizes: first prize at the 5th International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn (2013), Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli prize of the Piano Academy in Eppan (2013) and first prize at the Concurs Maria Canals of Barcelona (2012). She has since been a leading force of 21st century classical music internationally, performing widely across Europe and with major orchestras such as Klassische Bonn Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Kracow Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra, Madrid Symphony Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

Ann has received favourable reviews and media attention not only for her technical excellence and rigor, but also for her delicate and profound interpretation of music that balances between raw physicality and nuanced spirituality of human emotions. Since winning first prize at the Beethoven Competition in Bonn, Ann has been acclaimed as the next Beethoven specialist following the legendary pianist Prof. John O’Conor.

Ann studied with Prof. John O’Conor and Prof. Thérèse Fahy and received her Doctoral degree in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and completed a Postgraduate Course Prof. Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg in 2014. She released her own recording of 12 Soler Keyboard Sonatas No.75-86 (2018) with Naxos.