Hai-Kyung Suh plays the Seoul Philharmonic, then Carnegie Hall
Pianist Hai-Kyung Suh performs Rachmaninoff with the Seoul Philharmonic at the free Seoul Phil Park Concert on 19 September, then gives a 60th-anniversary solo recital at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall, on 3 October.
PUBLICAi Editorial3 min read
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Key points
- Pianist Hai-Kyung Suh performs Rachmaninoff with the Seoul Philharmonic at the free open-air Seoul Phil Park Concert in Seoul Children's Grand Park on 19 September.
- On 3 October she gives a solo recital at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York, including the world premiere of Valse by composer Jaejoon Ryu.
- The two dates mark 60 years at the piano for Suh, who returned to the stage after treatment for breast cancer in 2006.
Pianist Hai-Kyung Suh has a pair of dates that link a Seoul stage to Carnegie Hall. On 19 September at 19:00 she joins the 2026 Seoul Phil Park Concert on the Forest Stage in Seoul Children's Grand Park, playing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden. The concert is free and presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Two weeks later, on 3 October, she gives a solo recital at Zankel Hall in Carnegie Hall, New York. According to Carnegie Hall's own listing, the programme opens with the Melody from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in Sgambati's arrangement, then moves through Brahms — the rhapsodies, the six piano pieces and the Paganini Variations — before the world premiere of Valse by the Korean composer Jaejoon Ryu, and closes with Liszt. A studio recording of the same programme is planned alongside the recital.
Suh took second prize, with no first awarded, at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in 1980 — the first Asian musician to take its top honour — and also placed at the ARD International Music Competition. She went on to record for Deutsche Grammophon and Decca, and is counted as the first woman pianist to record the complete Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky works for piano and orchestra.
The Rachmaninoff performance carries a particular weight for her. Diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2006, she went through five months of chemotherapy and radiation, and despite warnings that she might lose the use of one hand she returned to the stage in 2008 with Rachmaninoff's Second and Third Piano Concertos at the Seoul Arts Center. Asked about reaching 60 years with the instrument, she has spoken of Artur Rubinstein, the pianist she admires, and said she wants to keep performing for as long as her health allows.
The two dates at a glance
| 2026 Seoul Phil Park Concert | Carnegie Hall recital | |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Saturday 19 September 2026, 19:00 | Saturday 3 October 2026, 19:30 local time |
| Venue | Forest Stage, Seoul Children's Grand Park | Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York |
| Format | Concerto appearance with the Seoul Philharmonic | Solo recital |
| Conductor | Jaap van Zweden | — |
| Headline repertoire | Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | Gluck, Brahms, Jaejoon Ryu, Liszt |
| Admission | Free, presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Government | Carnegie Hall box office |
Carnegie Hall recital programme
| Work | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gluck arr. Sgambati, Melody from Orfeo ed Euridice |
| 2 | Brahms, Two Rhapsodies Op. 79 |
| 3 | Brahms, Six Pieces for Piano Op. 118 |
| 4 | Brahms, Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Books I and II |
| 5 | Jaejoon Ryu, Valse (world premiere) |
| 6 | Liszt, Transcendental Étude No. 10 |
| 7 | Liszt, Petrarch Sonnet No. 104 |
| 8 | Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole |
When and where is the Seoul concert?
At 19:00 on Saturday 19 September 2026, on the Forest Stage in Seoul Children's Grand Park, as part of the 2026 Seoul Phil Park Concert. It is a free open-air concert presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
What does she play in Seoul?
Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jaap van Zweden.
When is the Carnegie Hall recital?
At 19:30 local time on Saturday 3 October 2026, in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, as listed in Carnegie Hall's own calendar.
Is anything receiving its world premiere?
Yes. Valse, a new work by the composer Jaejoon Ryu, is given its world premiere at the recital. A studio recording of the same programme is planned.
Who is Hai-Kyung Suh?
She took second prize with no first awarded at the 1980 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, the first Asian musician to receive its top honour, and also placed at the ARD International Music Competition. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and Decca and is counted as the first woman pianist to record the complete Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky works for piano and orchestra. After treatment for stage 3 breast cancer in 2006 she returned to the stage in 2008, and this year marks 60 years at the piano.
