Since his triumphant success at the Concours Géza Anda in Zurich in 2009, Jinsang Lee has established himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation. At that time he not only won the first prize, but also became the first participant in the history of the competition winning all the special prizes; the Audience Prize, the Mozart Prize and the Schumann Prize.
Jinsang’s artistic talent had already been honored by previous achievements in several prestigious piano competitions: First Prizes at the Hong Kong International Piano Competition (2008, chaired by Vladimir Ashkenazy) and at the International Pianoforte Competition Cologne, Germany (2005) following numerous top prizes in Korea and Japan.
Well-known conductors chose Jinsang for their concerts including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Michael Boder, Douglas Bostock, Michael Brousseau, David Effron, Heiko Mathias Förster, Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, Peter Gülke, Theodor Guschlbauer, Antony Hermus, Mikhail Jurowski, Roman Kofman, Mark Laycock, James P Liu, Christian Ludwig, Jonathan Nott, Ola Rudner, Si Yeon Sung, Muhai Tang, Umeda Toshiaki, Mario Venzago, Christopher Warren-Green and Nikolaj Znaider.
Jinsang’s orchestral collaboration is beyond continent: Argovia Philharmonic Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Berner Symphonieorchester, Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra, Grazer Philharmonieorchester, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Nürnberger Symphonieorchester, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Wiener Kammerorchester, WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra and Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Jinsang has performed at prestigious music festivals: Busoni Festival, Cervo International Chamber Music Festival, Ernen Music Village, Lucerne Festival, Menton Festival, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Montreux Festival, Murten Classics, Ruhr Piano Festival, Seoul Art Center Orchestra Festival, Hong Kong Joy of Music Festival, Wuhan International Piano Festival. Numerous invitations led him on international concert stages such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Berlin, Louvre Museum, KKL Lucerne, Meistersingerhalle Nürnberg, Tonhalle Zurich and Konzerthaus Vienna.
Jinsang Lee’s Discography:
Live recording of the Concours Géza Anda (2009)
Hiller-Mendelssohn-Chopin piano pieces, recorded with both antique and modern Steinway pianos (2011)
Schumann: Piano Sonatas for the Young, Op. 118 / 5 Gesänge der Frühe (2015)
Georgy Sviridov recorded with Beethoven Trio Bonn (2017)
3 Volumes of CD of Beethoven’s piano trio works with Beethoven Trio Bonn (2020)
Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas with violinist Ju-Young Baek (2021)
In search of the perfect sound, Jinsang took an unusual extra path. At Steinway Austria, under the direction of Stefan Knüpfer (piano technique master and protagonist of the documentary “Pianomania”), he continued to educate himself in order to understand in detail the entire manufacturing process and the technique of the piano. At Steinway Hamburg factory he himself learned the craft of piano making. With this knowledge and skill, Jinsang Lee continues his pianist career, sharing his journey to the perfect piano sound with the audience.
Jinsang started his musical training with Daejin Kim in Korea, continued his studies with Wolfgang Manz and Julia Goldstein in Germany and graduated with Pavel Gililov in Austria.
A passionate chamber musician, he is a member of the Beethoven Trio Bonn and performs with them in various chamber music concerts. Also a highly regarded writer, he regularly writes articles for magazines and newpapers in Korea. Jinsang is currently a faculty member at the Korea National University of Arts.