The fourteenth in our series is 2014 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition Winner Taek Gi Lee on Friday, June 19 at 7pm with a programme comprising –Â S. Rachmaninoff – Etude Op.39, No.3 and S. Prokofiev – Piano Sonata No.7
Taek Gi Lee was born in Seoul in 1996. He began his piano study at the age of six. After winning a number of prestigious national competitions including Samick Bechstein Piano Competition, Suri Music Competition, Taek Gi gave his first debut recital as a part of Kumho Prodigy Concert Series at the age of thirteen.
In 2011, he got accepted to Juilliard School’s Pre-College division that led him to move to America. During his studies in Juilliard, he became laureate of many international competitions such as the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, the International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Musicians, the Val Tidone International Piano Competition, the Toronto International Music Competition, and the Seoul International Music Competition.
In 2014, Taek Gi won the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition as the youngest competitor and was highly acclaimed by Dame Fanny Waterman who was on the jury for the finals. After winning the competition, he made his successful debut in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Consequently, he was invited to perform in many venues across Europe, America, and Korea.
After winning numerous competitions, he has been selected as a recipient of a scholarship from Daewon Cultural Foundation in Seoul. He was invited to perform in a large number of celebrated venues including Fairfield Halls (London), Salle Cortot (Paris), Lincoln Center (New York), Harris Hall (Aspen), Seoul Arts Center (Seoul), Kumho Art Hall (Seoul), and more. The orchestras he has collaborated with include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Maidstone Symphony Orchestra and Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2018, he replaced the performer at Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto who withdrew due to injury. In spite of the short preparation period of less than a week, he made a sensational success of it. Taek Gi consequently signed a management contract with MOC Production and joined the roster of great musicians, giving numerous concerts in Korea and has also given performances in America as a part of ‘Curtis on Tour’ in 2020.
Taek is currently continuing his musical study at Curtis Institute of Music with Professor Robert McDonald.
The concert will be available to watch on our website or on our Facebook page.
The concerts are free to view, but viewers are able to make a voluntary donation to Hastings International Piano Engagement Fund, or choose to join as a friend. Donate here or become a friend
Image Credits: Hastings International Piano Festival .