NEC Welcomes Renowned Artist-Teacher Minsoo Sohn to Piano Faculty
New England Conservatory is delighted to announce that the brilliant, critically acclaimed pianist Minsoo Sohn ’99, ’01 GD, ’04 AD will join the piano faculty beginning in fall 2023.
Mr. Sohn, a graduate of NEC who studied with pianists Russell Sherman and Wha Kyung Byun, is one of the most sought after performers and pedagogues today. His appointment to the faculty will provide immeasurable value to piano students at NEC and enrich the community at large.
“I am thrilled and honored to be back at home,” says Minsoo Sohn. “I inherited the gift of music from the New England Conservatory and it has always been the guiding light of my musical journey. I proudly carry the spirit of Gunther Schuller, Rudolf Kolisch, Katja Andy, and of course, the teachers of my lifetime—Russell Sherman and Wha Kyung Byun. I am eternally indebted to my masters for opening my eyes to a world still unfathomable. They have instilled within me a love and courage to follow my bliss. I am very much looking forward to carrying that torch at NEC.”
“NEC shares the news of Minsoo’s appointment to the piano faculty with a sense of enormous pride,” adds Benjamin Sosland, Provost and Dean of the Faculty. “As a consummate artist-teacher, Minsoo embodies the ideals of musical excellence in his playing and his teaching. The foundation of his musical journey was laid here at NEC, and we are simply delighted that he is returning to his alma mater to pass on his expertise and insight to a new generation of pianists.”
After teaching at Michigan State University, Mr. Sohn returned to South Korea where he has been on the faculty at the Korean National University of Arts since 2015. Recently, his student, South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, took first prize at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, making him the youngest prize-winner in the competition’s history; this year’s event also saw strong showings by current NEC students of Wha Kyung Byun and Alexander Korsantia. Mr. Sohn began teaching Yunchan early in his career after graduating from NEC, and when Yunchan was only 12 years old. The power of close-knit relationships and the commitment to artistic excellence shine through in this remarkable story of how the NEC community can propel artists to global success, through generations of students and teachers, and NEC is thrilled that Mr. Sohn is “returning home.”
First prize winner of the Honens Competition in 2006 and third prize winner at the Busoni Competition in 1999, Mr. Sohn is the recipient of a number of prestigious awards and accolades. His performances and recordings have consistently garnered popular and critical acclaim, with the New York Times praising his Bach’s Goldberg Variations recording as a “beautifully articulated, radiant interpretation,” placing it one of the top classical recordings of 2011.
Learn more about Mr. Sohn’s accomplishments at his personal website.