Celebrating 70 Years of Mastery: Pianist Baek Gun-woo’s Journey and Upcoming Concert

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“Playing into old age isn’t something to brag about or treat as especially important. After a lifetime in music, it feels like a continuation. Age doesn’t matter. As long as the passion for music lives, it will continue. Concertos, recitals, chamber music, accompaniment — the possibilities are always there and varied.”

For pianist Kun-Woo Paik, the last 70 years have been a steady, disciplined pursuit: finish one piece, study the next to open a new world, and then move on again.

For soprano Sumi Jo, marking 40 years on the international stage, the path has been less about solo glory and more about staying rooted — a Korean artist who draws strength from solidarity and takes pride in her community.

“I realize I’ve spent a very long time on stage,” she said. “I feel deeply grateful. I think, ‘I’ve come this far — I’m proud.’ It wasn’t an easy road, but I worked hard, and I’m very proud to be here.”

Celebrating 70 years for Paik and 40 for Jo, both artists have established themselves as world-class performers and continued to chart steady artistic paths. To mark these milestones, the two masters are releasing albums, launching national tours and exploring new directions in their music.

Paik is known for his deep, methodical study of each work and composer — a kind of pilgrim at the keyboard. He debuted in 1956 at age 10 with the Navy Symphony Orchestra (now the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra) under Kim Saeng-ryeo, performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Paik turns 80 on the 10th.

In February, reflecting on seven decades of performance, he released a two-disc set featuring Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonatas Nos. 13, 14, 18 and 20 and launched a national recital tour titled “Kun-Woo Paik and Schubert.” On his birthday, the 10th, he will celebrate with a concert at Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall.

At that concert, Paik will play Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D.66; Piano Sonata No. 20 in A major, D.959 — a work he has loved since he first learned it — and Johannes Brahms’s Four Ballades, Op. 10.

Though he has performed and recorded Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 20 since his youth, he has hesitated to present it live: “The second movement feels like a fantasy beyond measure, and the fourth movement’s theme repeats endlessly, leaving me searching for an answer for a long time,” he said.

He said he programmed Brahms’s Four Ballades because, if his earlier performances tended toward a clear, richly classical approach, he now feels the piano should be treated more orchestrally.

One lesson from his seven-decade career, Paik said, is that “my eagerness may have blinded me. I’ve learned that by trying not to do too much, I should let the music sing from the heart on its own.”

“Now I just want to enjoy music freely. Although my repertoire is enormous, there are still many pieces I haven’t touched. The world of music is vast and seemingly endless. Life, on the other hand, is short.”

Paik will keep performing. In the second half of the year he plans concerts in the U.S., Europe and China, and he will publish an autobiography that promises hidden stories and clarifications about his life and career.

Sumi Jo made her European debut in November 1986 at Italy’s Teatro Verdi in Verdi’s Rigoletto and has since been a prima donna on the world’s leading stages: La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, the Paris National Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna Musikverein and the Concertgebouw.

Her achievements have earned her France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commandeur), South Korea’s Order of Cultural Merit, Gold Crown (2023), the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Knight), and she was selected as the 2026 Samsung Ho-Am Prize winner in the Arts.

She is a professor at KAIST, where she leads efforts to blend music and technology, and she helps discover promising young vocalists through initiatives such as the Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition, now in its second edition, supporting their entry onto the global stage.

Jo’s 40th anniversary promises to be busy. To mark four decades as a leading Korean vocalist, an international prima donna and an artist seeking new directions, she will release a special album, Continuum, and begin a national tour starting May 9 in Changwon.

The album condenses 40 years of her artistic trajectory and points to what comes next. It includes Reinhold Glière’s demanding coloratura piece, Coloratura Soprano Concerto, Op. 82: I. Andante, plus new works by Korean and international composers — 11 tracks in all.

Released under an exclusive contract with SM Classics — SM Entertainment’s classical and jazz label — the album features violinist Danny Gu as a guest artist and a duet with EXO’s Suho on the special track “Romance.”

The title, taken from Latin to mean “unbroken,” “ongoing” and “continuing,” reflects Jo’s intent. “This is a gift for me and for the many fans who love me. It continues my 40-year career and asks, ‘What can I do next?’”

“I didn’t make this as mere reflection or documentation of what I’ve done,” Jo said. “I wanted to explore what I can do musically going forward and to present the 40 years of my growth and experience through the imaginations and musical voices of Korean composers.”

Alongside Glière’s Andante, the album includes a medley of arias and signature pieces associated with Jo: Verdi’s “Caro nome” from Rigoletto; Handel’s “Lascia ch’io pianga” from Rinaldo; Gounod’s “Je veux vivre” from Roméo et Juliette; Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi; and Caccini’s “Ave Maria,” among others.

The record also features new commissions: Yiruma’s “Encore,” “Masque” (music by Choi Jin with performance by Danny Gu), “Arirang Cantabile” (lyrics and music by Yoon Ja-eun), and the special duet “Romance” (music by Park Jong-hoon, lyrics by Danny Gu) performed with EXO’s Suho. In total, 11 tracks mark the 40th anniversary through a mix of established repertoire and new works.

The album reflects Jo’s personal journey: childhood and years abroad, walks along the Seine as she wondered about the future and love, the fear and excitement of starting a career in France, a persistent longing for Korea, and meditations about life and the world beyond it.

Along with the album release, Jo will begin a nationwide tour on May 9 in Changwon (Seongsan Arts Center), followed by performances at Gangdong Arts Center (May 13), Bucheon Arts Center (May 15) and Po-eun Hall in Yongin (May 17), with concerts continuing from August through December. The September 4 concert at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall will be a recital commemorating her 40th anniversary on the world stage.

Midway through the tour, she will travel to France to lead the 2nd Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition (July 5–11) at Château de La Ferté-Imbault in the Loire region.

The competition drew applicants from 55 countries — about 500 singers — up from 44 countries and roughly 430 applicants last year, making this year’s field more competitive. Organizers say the event aims not just to find great singers but to provide ongoing performance and learning opportunities. Its stated goal is to develop artists with character and talent who can step onto the world stage as ambassadors of peace.

From 24 semifinalists, nine will advance to the final round. The first-, second- and third-place winners, along with special prize recipients, will perform with Sumi Jo on September 8 in “2006 The Magic, Sumi Jo and Winners” at Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall.

Reporter Heo Mi-seon hurlkie@viva2080.com