ALPIN HONG
DEBUT

"[Alpin Hong's] solo recital debut largely impresses...Hong's sensitive sculpting...is a pleasure to hear. Strong fingerwork and a keen ear for voice-leading characterise Hong's Brahms..."
The Gramophone - July 2005

"Pianist Alpin Hong certainly has plenty of facility to spare...an exciting and intelligent performance, well worth seeking out...Hong invests [the Debussy] with all the colors the piano can produce...a warmly expressive artist..."
American Record Guide - July/August 2005

"Alpin Hong...plays this material with brilliance and no little insight. His approach is crisp and contemporary...Hong's Scarlatti is dazzling...All of Hongs strengths come together for his riveting performance of the Stravinsky. His playing here bristles with energy and razor sharp precision. Hong is a striking young artist."
Fanfare - May/June 2005

"STUNNING DEBUT RECITAL. Hong's range of interest ...is impressive...inspired performance [of the Debussy]...Hong [possesses] poetic sensibility..."
Atlanta Audio Society - Winter 2005

“…A pianistic firebrand, unfazed by the difficulties of new music…In a program that included works by Clementi, Brahms, Liszt, Ravel, Stravinsky and Shostakovich, Mr. Hong kept the voltage consistently high, but energy was not all he had to offer. His ideas about the works at hand were clear and persuasive, and as hard driven as his readings were, it was clear that he kept sty-listic distinctions firmly in mind."
Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

“It was a tour de force; Hong evoked a kind of Beatlemania when he came on stage. What a showman! What a musician!"
Santa Barbara News Press 

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Equally captivating in his interpretations of Schubert, Shostakovich, Schoenberg or Stravinsky, Alpin Hong thrills audiences with his stunning virtuosity, artistic vision, and irreverent style. First Prize Winner at the 2001 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and the first pianist in eight years to win CAG’s highest honor, his charismatic performance won him standing ovations and the jury’s unanimous vote.  

Mr. Hong’s concert itinerary spans the continental United States, with recital and orchestral engagements across the globe. Recent performances include Los Angeles’ Wilshire Ebell Theatre and Royce Hall at UCLA, Weill Recital Hall, Rockhotel Pianofest, Merkin Concert Hall’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration, Seoul’s Hoam Arts Center, the Frick Arts Centre, Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos in Panama, as well as numerous concerto performances.

A native of Los Angeles, Alpin Hong is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal.  He made his orchestral debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony at age 10, and soon after won the 1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition and the 1994 Los Angeles Spotlight Awards Competition  He has since developed an international career, recently performing with the Korean Broadcast Symphony, as well as at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, and at Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. Festival appearances include the Music Academy of the West, Aspen and Bowdoin Summer Music Festivals. 

 

BRAHMS Six Pieces, Op.118 DEBUSSY Suite Bergamasque D. SCARLATTI Sonata in D minor, L422 Sonata in B minor, L33 STRAVINSKY Petrouchka Suite