Hyung-ki Joo impressively describes his experiences as a ten-year-old at the Yehudi Menuhin School as the trigger for a lifelong quest: "I had this intense feeling that my love for classical music was unparalleled. But when I went to concerts, I felt like there was this huge gap between the joy and passion of the music and how it was being shared with the audience. Everything seemed so ceremonial, so elitist", says the pianist. "I wanted to make classical music and concerts more accessible and engaging for everyone, especially younger audiences. That’s what inspired me to do what I do, and my whole life’s dream and ambition has been to 'move the dinosaur'!"
moreIn an extensive interview for the World Federation of International Music Competitions, Hyung-ki Joo spoke about the humorous side of classical composers, about his collaborations with personalities such as Gidon Kremer, Asmik Grigorian and, early in his career, Yehudi Menuhin, and about his plans as the new Artistic Director of the Menuhin Competition.