Hyung-ki Joo

A smart, dashing performer with an industry buzz created as much by his charismatic presence as by his work at the keyboard. Billboard 

Pianist, composer, and creative force Hyung-ki Joo is redefining the concert experience, playfully blending storytelling with musical innovation to engage audiences beyond traditional classical formats. On stage, he enraptures audiences with his jovial and contagious stage presence as well as his energetic, brilliantly virtuosic performances. He takes on various musical roles, crafting special projects that highlight him as pianist, conductor, communicator, composer, and artistic director. As a soloist, he has performed with renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Wiener Symphoniker, and Sinfonia Varsovia.

Recent highlights include concerts with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Zagreb Philharmonic, and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Recent seasons have also seen him curate the opening of the 2023 Wiener Festwochen, appear with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and collaborate with conductor Tarmo Peltokoski and both the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. In summer 2025, he took part in the opening programme of the new Busan Concert Hall in Korea.

In the 2026/27 season, Hyung-ki Joo will be involved in three special projects. In a new collaboration with drag artist Loreley Rivers, he will co-curate the established Virtuosen-Varieté format at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. Following the successful premiere with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn of Piano vs. Orchestra, his “infotainment” concert format exploring the history of the piano concerto, he will bring the project to Asia for its premiere with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2027. His collaboration with acclaimed soprano Asmik Grigorian will also continue, following their appearances at the Salzburg Festival and La Scala in Milan, among others. Their jointly conceived show A Diva Is Born, which most recently delighted audiences in Riga, Vilnius, and at the Vienna State Opera (“Crying out for a repeat performance.” Der Standard), will be presented in Oslo, Helsinki, Reykjavik, Palanga, Linz, and at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. In the field of chamber music, Hyung-ki Joo will appear at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland and at Norway’s Røros Festival, where he has been invited as focus artist.

His affinity for song repertoire has led to performances with singers such as Sunhae Im, Dame Felicity Lott, Valentina Nafornița, Julian Prégardien, and Pretty Yende. Similarly, his love of chamber music has shaped his musical career, leading to collaborations with artists including Renaud Capuçon, Martin Fröst, Janine Jansen, Mischa Maisky, Julian Rachlin, and Raphaela Gromes, as well as the Belcea Quartet, the vision string quartet, and the Quatuor Ébène. Beyond the classical concert stage, Hyung-ki Joo has collaborated with artists from other musical worlds, including Billy Joel and jazz pianist Stefano Bollani.

A passionate communicator, Hyung-ki Joo works to inspire the next generation of musicians. In his Beyond the Practice Room workshops, he focuses on the joy of making music and encourages participants to explore fresh directions beyond “conventional” performance. Committed to nurturing young talent, he works regularly with students, youth orchestras, and ensembles. He holds an honorary doctorate from Manhattan School of Music and is currently Artistic Director of the Menuhin Competition for young violinists. He is also Ambassador to the Sir Peter Ustinov Foundation – a charitable organisation dedicated to creating better living conditions for children and young people worldwide through access to education and creativity.

As a composer, Hyung-ki Joo has had his works performed by orchestras, ensembles, and soloists such as the New York Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, Komische Oper Berlin Ensemble, Oslo Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Meta4, Emanuel Ax, Tine Thing Helseth, Daniel Hope, and Yuja Wang, and recorded by artists such as Shani Diluka, Sun Hee You, the Ahn Piano Trio, and the Miró Quartet. His music is published by Universal Edition and Modern Works. 

Ever inventive, Hyung-ki Joo – “a pianist who, with charm, wit, and exceptional pianistic mastery, takes the audience on a journey that knows no bounds” (Aargauer Zeitung) – continues to bridge boundaries between art forms, transforming the way audiences experience classical music.

2026/27 season

This biography is to be reproduced without any changes, omissions, or additions, unless expressly authorised by the artist management.

If Puccini and Lady Gaga had created a show together, it might have looked something like “A Diva is Born.”
“A Diva is Born” is not simply a concert – it’s an emotional rollercoaster that reimagines tradition.
One stage. One diva. One pianist. Endless emotions. Expect the unexpected – laughter, tears, applause, perhaps even a few boos. These are songs, just louder. Think opera, think pop – think popera.

Haydn is a composer who is often taken for granted. Although his name is historically among the greatest, he stands in the shadow of Mozart and Beethoven—two composers who greatly admired Haydn and were influenced by him. Haydn was a pioneer, a rule-breaker, a prankster, and a refined punk. His music is full of wit and inventiveness, and many of his works are infused with humor, surprises, and theatrical elements.

In this programme, Hyung-ki Joo has taken Haydn’s original music and applied his own love of theatre and humour to Haydn’s original musical intentions, in order to enrich and amplify the experience for today’s audience. The concert begins, in a sense, backwards—with the final movement of Haydn’s Symphony No. 60, “Il Distratto,” which means “The Distracted One.” The music starts in Haydn’s typically cheerful manner, but hardly has it begun before there are several distractions to deal with. Will the orchestra manage to maintain its focus and get off to a good start?

When pianist and composer Stefano Bollani, the Italian jazz maestro of the keyboard, met pianist and composer Hyung-ki Joo, the British-Korean virtuoso of versatility, they swapped notes in rehearsals for Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with conductor Sakari Oramo and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. A new and exciting piano duo was born.

Following in the tradition of other symbiotic partnerships such as Friedrich Gulda and Chick Corea or Lang Lang and Herbie Hancock, Bollani and Joo bring a unique perspective and a special feel for the classics, while performing popular music with a touch of class. Joo comes from the world of classical music and Bollani from the world of jazz, yet this is by no means a crossover project: each pianist is equally at home in the other’s world.