Yunchan Lim
Yunchan Lim 임윤찬 | |
---|---|
Gyeonggi, South Korea | |
Genres | Classical |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Piano |
Years active | 2022–present |
Website | yunchanlimofficial |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 임윤찬 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Im Yunchan |
McCune–Reischauer | Im Yunch'an |
Yunchan Lim (Korean: 임윤찬; born March 20, 2004) is a South Korean pianist. In 2022, he gained widespread recognition when he became the youngest person ever to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at age 18.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Early life and education
Lim was born in Siheung, South Korea. He started to take piano lessons when he was seven years old, and entered the Music Academy of Seoul Arts Center a year later.[7][8] He began to take the piano more seriously when he was nine years old.[8] At thirteen, he was accepted into the Korea National University of Arts, where he began to study with his current teacher, Minsoo Sohn.[9][10] In the fall of 2023, Lim transferred his studies with Sohn to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.[11]
Career
2018–2022: Early career
In 2018, Lim received both the Second Prize and Chopin Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, where he performed with the Cleveland Orchestra in the final round.[12][7] In the same year, he was the youngest participant in the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition at the Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he won the Third Prize and the Audience Prize.[13] In 2019, he became the youngest ever winner of the Isang Yun Competition at fifteen years old.[7]
In 2020, Lim was featured in the recording of the “2020 Young Musicians of Korea” album, which was organized by the Korean Broadcasting System and released in the same year.[7]
2022–present: Van Cliburn Competition victory and present career
In June 2022, Lim won the Gold Medal at the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, making him the youngest winner in the competition’s history. The prize came with $100,000 USD and career management for three years.[14] He also won two special prizes, the Audience Award and the Best Performance of a New Work.[7] His final round performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is currently the most viewed video of the piece on YouTube. It peaked at #24 on YouTube’s global trending list and accumulated more than 10 million views in a span of eight months.[7]
Following his win at the Van Cliburn competition, Lim collaborated with orchestras such as the
In 2023, Lim was included in the
In August 2023, Crescendo, a feature documentary that follows the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition's proceedings and Lim’s emergence, premiered at the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival.[18]
In October 2023, Lim signed with
Discography
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
---|---|---|---|
KOR [20] | |||
2020 Young Musicians of Korea Vol. 3 |
|
— | |
Beethoven, Isang Yun, Barber (Live) |
|
— | |
Live from the Cliburn: Liszt – Transcendental Etudes |
|
— | |
Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25 |
|
16 |
|
Awards
- 2018: Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists – Second Prize
- 2018: Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition – Third Prize and Audience Prize
- 2019: Isang Yun Competition – First Prize
- 2022: Van Cliburn International Piano Competition – Gold Medal, Audience Award, and Best Performance of a New Work
- 2023: Forbes 30 Under 30
References
- New York Times. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- Yahoo News. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ Cantrell, Scott; Diovanni, Tim (2022-06-18). "South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, 18, wins the 2022 Van Cliburn International Competition". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ "[Newsmaker] South Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan becomes the youngest winner of Van Cliburn Int'l Piano Competition". The Korea Herald. 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ "Pianist, 18, from South Korea wins Van Cliburn competition". Associated Press. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- National Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Yunchan Lim, 임윤찬, 2022 Cliburn Gold Medalist". The Cliburn. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ a b c MacMillan, Kyle (July 29, 2023). "Yunchan Lim turns his soft-spoken style into a sense of instant reverie | Chicago Symphony Orchestra". Experience the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- Korea Times. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ Oron, Aryeh (2022-12-28). "Minsoo Sohn (Piano)". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- New York Times. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
- ^ "CIPC Announces 2018 Prizes in Young Artists Competition". Cleveland Classical. 2018-06-11. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
- ^ Burnett, Erich (2018-07-18). "Three Pianists Advance to the Cooper Competition's Final Round". Oberlin College. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ "18-year-old Yunchan Lim becomes youngest pianist to win 16th Van Cliburn competition". Business Today. 2022-07-20. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
- ^ "Yunchan Lim: biography". Medici.tv.
- ^ "Yunchan Lim - Forbes". Forbes. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ "10 First-Timers on Billboard's Charts This Week: Olivia Dean, Miles Miller, FendiDa Rappa & More". Billboard. 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ^ Owen, Garrett (2023-08-10). "CRESCENDO—2022 CLIBURN COMPETITION DOCUMENTARY— WORLD PREMIERE AUGUST 12 IN SOUTH KOREA". The Cliburn. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ^ Savage, Mark (19 October 2023). "Yunchan Lim: 19-year-old piano sensation signs record deal". BBC News.
- ^ "Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ Cumulative Sales of Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25:
- "Circle Album Chart – Week 16, 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- "Circle Album Chart – Week 17, 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved May 2, 2024.