BIOGRAPHY
Helena Ha-Young Sul, Concertpianist & piano pedagogue & Music manager
The Founder and Artistic Director for Gothenburg Piano Festival
Concert pianist Helena Ha-Young Sul
The Swedishborn concertpianist Helena Ha-Young Sul has her roots in Korea and Japan.
A devoted and established concert pianist and teacher/coach, Helena Ha-Young Sul is regularly invited as a jury member and teacher in masterclasses and pianocompetitions nationally and internationally.
Her passionate to arrange events and activities for Young musicians has established events including the Gothenburg Piano Festival in Sweden and Music theatre.
As a Music manager she invites musicians from all over the world.
Her first officially performance, at the age of 7, was winning the 1. Prize at the Steinway International Pianocompetition in Hamburg, Germany. After that she won gold medal in Berlingske Tidende in Denmark, Ettlingen International Piano competition, Germany and Ljunggrenska Musiktävling, Kils piano competitions in Sweden and the Royal Academy Swedish Academy of Music, Stockholm.
As 9 years old her debut as soloist with orchestra was with Malmö Symphony Orchestra and Trelleborgs orkesterförening.
At the age of 15 Helena Ha-Young entered the ROYAL DANISH MUSIC ACADEMY in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her first teachers were her mother, Inga Törnblom and Marianne Jacobs.
Other teachers were Tom Ernst, prof. José Ribera (solo-piano), Amalie Malling, Anne Öland (chambermusic), Friedrich Gurtler (accompany). She graduated in 1998 with the highest marks in solo-piano and chambermusic.
In 1998 she entered Master Degree (pr. Postgraduate Performance Course) and studied for 2 years at the ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC LONDON, England.
Her teacher was prof. Christopher Elton. 1999-2000 she had also entered the Pianoteaching programme with Vanessa Latarche.
In 2000 she continued CONSERVATOIRE DE MUSIQUE DE GENÈVE, Switzerland in Classe de Virtuosité and studied for 3 years with prof. Dominique Merlet and Contemporary Music with Jean-Jacques Balet. She graduated with the highest mark Diplome de Soloiste.
During her studies Helena Ha-Young took part in several international masterclasses such as Tel-Hai International Piano Master Israel with teacher Pnina Salzman and was awarded top scholarships from Kgl Musikaliska Akademien and Lions Rotary Club among others.
In Forth Worth she collaborated with Stanislav Ioudenitch, José Feghali, Yoheved Kaplinsky and Tamas Ungar. Other masterclasses were in Darmstadt with prof. Hans Leygraf. Further on with Liisa Pohjola (Finland), Romuald Sztern, Per Tengstrand, and Iliya Itin (Sweden) Paul Badura-Skoda and Charles Rosen (UK).
She was selected as Young Artists at the University of Texas in Forth Worth, USA and was awarded as Pianist of the Year, Skåne in 2000.
Helena Ha-Young has participated in many national and international pianofestivals including the International Piano festival in Eindhoven, Holland, Steinway & Sons Festival in Berlin, Germany, Piano en Saintonge, France, Festival Archipel, Switzerland, Helsingborgs Pianofestival and Båstads International Chambermusicfestival, Sweden.
In 2011 she performed works by Liszt and invited selected pianists for this event Liszt jubilee at Stenhammarsalen at Concerthouse, Sweden and the Concert was recorded by Swedish Radio P2.
She appeared on Television and Radio (BBC, DR-radio, Swedish Radio P2, Suisse Romande and Swedish Television).
Helena Ha-Young is also an interpret of new Contemporary Music and performed with Ensemble Contemporain in Switzerland, new Music performed as Betsy Jolas, Lionel Rogg and Rolf Martinsson (dedicated especially the piano piece Acquarius for her) and latest Sofia Gubaidulina received successfully with the composer herself.
Among concerts she has performed pianoconcertos like Mozart Pianoconcerto no. 19, no. 21 and Beethoven Triple concerto with Royal Academy of Music, Copenhagen, Tchaikowski no. 2, Mendelssohn no.1 and Grieg with Helsingborgs Symphony Orchestra and Tivoli Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven pianoconcerto no.3 with Geneva Academy Orchestra among others.
She has collaborated with conductors as Arild Remmereit, Tommy B. Andersson, Olaf Henzold, Michael Tabachnik and Owain Arwel Hughes.
Helena has over 30 years of experience as solo-pianist and chambermusician and has performed in Sweden, Denmark (1998-99 a concert with Beethoven sonatas and a concert only works by Chopin at Tivolis Concerthall) as following Israel, Germany, France, Switzerland, USA, China and South-Korea.
Most recently has been successful soloconcerts in Montenegro and Budapest.
A sought-after coach and pedagogue she also travel to different summer courses and Universities to teach in masterclasses.
Since 2010 she is the Founder and Artistic director for the Gothenburg Piano Festival in Sweden.