To tackle musical challenges, HieYon Choi, who joined Peabody’s piano faculty this year, channels her favorite problem-solver, Ludwig van Beethoven.
“Beethoven innovated the piano sonata, opening up incredible possibilities for future generations,” says Choi, a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and teacher of international acclaim. “On top of the heroism and magnificence, Beethoven’s music is distinctive in having structural problems to solve. I believe that the excitement and energy in his music are created by the process of solving these problems. In his music, I realized, the ‘process’ is essential.”
Choi was the second pianist in her native South Korea to perform the cycle of all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. For her four-year achievement, she won the Arts Award of the Year in 2005 from the Korean Arts and Culture Association. Clearly a fan of Beethoven’s essential process, in 2014 she completed another Beethoven cycle of chamber music, collaborating with musicians in Seoul. Four years later, Choi finished her second Beethoven sonata cycle at venues in Korea, Sweden, Germany, and the U.S.
She’s released two albums of Beethoven sonatas, Piano Sonatas Nos. 18, 26, 27, 30 (Decca Korea) in 2018, and Beethoven: The Great Piano Sonatas (Universal Music) in 2021. Her other recordings include music by Debussy, Liszt, and Chopin.
“Beethoven’s 32 sonatas are each so unique that it’s hard to believe they all are from the one individual’s mind,” adds Choi, who is the former chair of Piano at Seoul National University. “His music never allows us to get used to it. It gives us challenge, which leads us to an enormous amount of joy when we overcome [that challenge].”
This ideal is at the core of her rigorous, supportive approach to teaching. In addition to her 24 years at SNU, Choi has served as guest faculty and taught master classes across the globe. Five of her former SNU students are professors at music colleges in Korea, Germany, and the United States, and many of her students have won national and international competitions.
She made her concert debut at age 6 with the Inchon Philharmonic Orchestra, and will return to the same stage 50 years later this June to perform with the Inchon Philharmonic.
Before the age of 18, Choi won all four of Korea’s most coveted competitions; she then moved to Germany to continue her piano studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin.
It was in Berlin that Choi first encountered new music, including that of Isang Yun, the first Korean composer who stood out in the western classical music world. “Art played a central role in what was then West Berlin,” she recalls. “There, I bathed in this creative environment.”
When Choi returned to Korea, she discovered that contemporary music was “almost deserted,” so she became its champion. As the inaugural artist-in-residence of The Tongyeong International Music Festival, Choi gave new music workshops and concerts. She founded SNU’s Ensemble Academy for new music collaborations, including TripleX, a virtual international exchange with artists from Seoul, Helsinki, and Vienna. “I wanted to build a bridge for my students and the audience to approach new music without fear,” she says.
Her participation in numerous international festivals and competitions—Choi has twice served as president of the jury for the Concours International de Piano (one d’Epinal and the other d’Orleans)—inspired her love for being part of a global community.
“At Peabody, I am excited to continue the great musical and academic traditions and to serve a broader and more extensive community than in Seoul,” Choi says.
Focused on teaching, she also will be performing a few chamber concerts this fall while soaking in collaborative possibilities across Peabody: “Being open to unique ways of expression wakes up my senses,” Choi says. “That’s what I learned from my musical ancestors and how I pursue my art.”