Born in 2007, Saehyun Kim is a South Korean pianist based in Boston, Massachusetts. In July 2023, he was awarded the First Prize, the Audience Prize, and the Junior Jury Prize in the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. After being named a YoungArts Winner with Distinction in Classical Music (Piano) and participating in the 2024 National YoungArts Week, he received the Gold Award in Classical Music with a prize money of $10,000 and was named a candidate for the United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Previous major accolades include first prizes in the Morningside Music Bridge International Concerto Competition, the NEC Preparatory School Concerto Competitions (Categories B and C), and the Harvard Musical Association High School Achievement Awards Competition; notably, he took second prize and was the youngest finalist at the International Tchaikovsky Online Piano Competition for Young Musicians. His recent interview and performance for NPR’s “From the Top” aired in December 2023 as a part of the “50 Years of Walnut Hill” episode (Show 439). Over the past decade, Kim has performed at venues across the U.S., France, South Korea, and Japan, such as Jordan Hall, Salle Cortot, Seoul Arts Center, and Yamaha Hall Ginza, appearing as a soloist with the Canton Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic, and Korean Symphony. Currently, he is a Lang Lang International Music Foundation Young Scholar and a senior at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, studying with HaeSun Paik, faculty at New England Conservatory.
His upcoming concert engagements for the 2023-2024 season include piano recitals at the Harvard Musical Association in Boston, MA; the Shinyoung Chamber Hall in Seoul, South Korea; and the International Keyboard Odyssiad & Festival in Fort Collins, CO. Under the baton of Steven Byess, he will perform on Van Cliburn’s personal Steinway Concert Grand during his appearance with the Arkansas Philharmonic, as well as being presented as the Cleveland winner in his collaboration with the North Mississippi Symphony. In May, he will be returning to Boston’s Jordan Hall to perform with the NEC Youth Philharmonic under the baton of David Loebel.