Seong-Jin Cho bio
Seong-Jin Cho has established himself worldwide as one of the leading pianists of his generation and most distinctive artists on the current music scene. With an innate musicality and consummate artistry, his thoughtful, poetic, virtuosic, and colorful playing combines panache with purity and is driven by an impressive natural sense of balance. He is celebrated around the globe for his expressive magic and illuminative insights.
An in-demand artist, Mr. Cho appears with the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He regularly collaborates with conductors who include Myung-Whun Chung, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Lahav Shani. As an artist-in-residence with the Berliner Philharmoniker during the 2024–2025 season, Mr. Cho collaborated with the orchestra on concerto and chamber music performances, recitals, and a tour to the Osterfestspiele Baden-Baden.
In the 2025–2026 season, Mr. Cho will be the focus of an artist portrait with the London Symphony Orchestra. Projects during the season include the world premiere of a new piano concerto by Donghoon Shin, written especially for him; tours across Europe; and chamber music concerts and recitals at LSO St Luke’s. Mr. Cho also appears in recital at prestigious concert halls that include the main stage of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna’s Musikverein, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, and Sala Santa Cecilia.
Born in Seoul, Mr. Cho started learning the piano at the age of six and gave his first public recital at age 11. In 2009, he became the youngest-ever winner of Japan’s Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, and in 2015, he became the first South Korean to win the International Chopin Piano Competition.