Performances + Events
HaeSun Paik
Education and Training
BM, MM, and AD, New England Conservatory. Ms. Paik's NEC training began at the age of 14, when she came to the U.S. from Korea to pursue her musical studies with Wha Kyung Byun, through the long-running partnership between New England Conservatory and the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. She studied with Russell Sherman and Wha Kyung Byun. Ms. Paik’s artistic development was further influenced through her studies at the International Piano Foundation in Lake Como (Italy).
Awards and Recognition
The Lifetime Achievement Music Award, Korean National Academy of the Arts, 2019
Third Prize, Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, 1994
Fourth Prize, Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition, 1991
Fifth Prize, Leeds International Piano Competition, 1990
First Prize, Maryland ‘William Kapell’ International Piano Competition 1989
Collaborations
With Laurence Lesser: Beethoven's complete music for Cello and Piano, recorded in Jordan Hall A superb collaborative artist, Ms. Paik performed with many distinguished artists including cellist Anner Bylsma, Mischa Maisky, Myung-wha Chung, violist Nobuko Imai, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, the Borromeo String Quartet, and the Jerusalem Quartet.Having won top prizes at international piano competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth, Leeds, William Kapell, and the Tchaikovsky, Ms. Paik has performed around the world in solo recitals, concertos with orchestras, and as a chamber musician. She has performed with the Boston, National, London, KBS, NHK, Belgian National, and City of Birmingham Symphonies; the Munich, Radio France, Tokyo, Warsaw, and Moscow Philharmonic Orchestras; and the Russian National Orchestra, among others.
Ms. Paik has recently performed all five Beethoven Concertos and the Triple Concerto with the New York Classical Players, and also performed both Brahms Piano Concertos in one single concert. She has recorded the complete works by Beethoven for cello and piano with Laurence Lesser, which has been released by Bridge Records. Her debut and subsequent solo recordings are available on the EMI label.
One of the most sought-after pedagogical influences in Korea, Ms. Paik was the youngest pianist of her generation to be appointed as a music professor at Seoul National University. Currently, she serves as the co-chair of the piano department at her alma mater, the New England Conservatory. She also holds an artist-in-residence position at Daegu Catholic University and served as the artistic director of the Busan Music Festival in Korea. She also teaches and performs at many prestigious summer festivals, including Morningside Music Bridge, PianoSummer at New Paltz, Chautauqua Institution, Ishikawa Music Festival in Japan, and the PyeongChang Music Festival in Korea.
Ms.Paik is a recipient of the Korean National Academy of the Arts’ 2019 Music Award, the nation’s highest honor for Korean musicians. Her life-essay book, “Master of My Own Frustrations,” was published in Korea in 2023. In 2025, she was appointed Artist Ambassador of the Independence Hall of Korea to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Korea’s independence.
Ms. Paik graduated from the New England Conservatory and Walnut Hill School under the guidance of Russell Sherman and Wha-Kyung Byun. Her artistic development was further enriched through her studies at the International Piano Foundation in Lake Como, Italy.
Curriculum Vitae
BM, MM, and AD, New England Conservatory. Ms. Paik's NEC training began at the age of 14, when she came to the U.S. from Korea to pursue her musical studies with Wha Kyung Byun, through the long-running partnership between New England Conservatory and the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. She studied with Russell Sherman and Wha Kyung Byun. Ms. Paik’s artistic development was further influenced through her studies at the International Piano Foundation in Lake Como (Italy).
- The Lifetime Achievement Music Award, Korean National Academy of the Arts, 2019
- Third Prize, Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, 1994
- Fourth Prize, Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition, 1991
- Fifth Prize, Leeds International Piano Competition, 1990
- First Prize, Maryland ‘William Kapell’ International Piano Competition 1989
- With Laurence Lesser: Beethoven's complete music for Cello and Piano, recorded in Jordan Hall
- A superb collaborative artist, Ms. Paik performed with many distinguished artists including cellist Anner Bylsma, Mischa Maisky, Myung-wha Chung, violist Nobuko Imai, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, the Borromeo String Quartet, and the Jerusalem Quartet.
