“un formidable artist .... la définition d’un grand interprète : celui qui, l’espace d’un concert, va au-delà de lui-même”
“a formidable artist .... the definition of a great interpreter: one who, for the space of a concert, transcends himself”
~ Diapason
"Saehyun Kim opens the abysses, implores for redemption, and closes up wounds"
"Saehyun Kim ouvre des abîmes, implore la rédemption, referme des plaies"
~ Le Monde
A rising star on the international piano scene, Saehyun Kim has received widespread critical acclaim since his triumph at the 2025 Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition, following his first-prize victory at the 2023 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. Le Monde has praised his “elegant and profound” touch and his “infinitely nuanced” phrasing, while Diapason has described him as “the definition of a great interpreter.”
Highlights of the 2026/27 season include Saehyun’s debuts with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, both under the direction of Myung-Whun Chung, as well as recitals presented by Piano à Lyon, Seoul’s Lotte Concert Hall, Santa Cruz’s Distinguished Artist Series, and the World Master Pianists Series in The Hague. These engagements follow a summer of major European appearances, including Saehyun’s return to the La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival, where he performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Andris Poga at the Festival de La Chaise-Dieu. His summer also included recitals at Flagey in Brussels, the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, the Nohant Chopin Festival, the Duszniki International Chopin Festival, and the Lieven Piano Festival in Vienna, as well as a tour of South Korea with the KBS Symphony Orchestra.
Further recent highlights include recitals at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris and the Parc du Château de Florans as part of the La Roque d’Anthéron International Piano Festival, as well as televised performances in front of the Arc de Triomphe for Le Concert de la Paix and the Eiffel Tower for the Concert de Paris, both of which were viewed by audiences of millions.
At the 2025 Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition, Saehyun won the First Prize, alongside three special prizes: the Audience Prize, Prize of the Press Jury, and Prize of the City of Paris Conservatories. At the 2023 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, he won the First Prize, as well as the Audience Prize and Junior Jury Prize.
Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Kim studied under Soojung Shin and Youngmi Choi before moving to the United States to continue his musical training. In the fall of 2024, he enrolled in the prestigious Harvard College/New England Conservatory dual-degree program, combining studies in English Literature at Harvard with piano performance at the New England Conservatory, where he studies with esteemed pianists Dang Thai Son and HaeSun Paik. He is a scholar of the Theo and Petra LIEVEN International Piano Foundation.
Kim is an exclusive recording artist of Warner Classics. His debut solo album, featuring works by Chopin and Fauré, was released in September 2026.