Piano
Hyuk Namkoong is a South Korean classical pianist currently based in Sheffield. He has a wide range of performing and teaching experiences. He completed his Masters of Music in Piano Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (2017) and Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music (2015). He is an active performer who regularly performs in places such as Beverley Minster, St Michael's Church in Macclesfield, the Sheffield Cathedral, Cafe#9 in Sheffield, and so on. He is also the conductor for the University of Sheffield Concert Orchestra.
Hyuk was previously under the tutelage of Petras Geniusas during his time in the RCS and won the first prize in the New Stars Piano Competition in Glasgow in 2015. He has also received the following testimonial from Herald Scotland:
"Power-driven Korean Hyuk Namkoong was first off with Nikolai Kapustin's Sonata-Fantasia, which began its journey out east but wandered into Hollywood, Tin Pan Alley and 52nd Street, picking up widescreen and jazz influences wherever it walked. Hyuk gave it a knockout performance. I don't know if he got the jokes, but this listener, corpsing quietly in the back row, was dazzled." - Michael Tumelty (Classical music writer), Herald Scotland, 29th February 2016.
At a young age, Hyuk achieved the following:
1. First prize in the Young Musician of the Gulf, alongside with the Best Pianist Award and Most Promising Bahrain-Based Musician Award (2010)
2. Third prize in the First International Chopin Competition in Kuwait (2010)
3. Received an invitation to participate in the Second Aegaeon Art International Festival in Greece and was also invited to perform in a Winners Concert in the Crescendo Summer Institute in Hungary (2014)
Hyuk is passionate about music performances and sharing his knowledge with the next generation. He also has experience working with neurodivergent young people (ASD, speech developmental delay, etc) and is always ready to explore different ways to help students enjoy music in their own way.