Honens International Piano Competition Laureate, Minsoo Sohn,

TORONTO, ON, August 31, 2009 ’Äì Minsoo Sohn, First Laureate of Canada’Äôs Honens International Piano Competition (2006), makes his Glenn Gould Studio debut in a solo recital on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 8 p.m. (250 Front Street West). Sohn’Äôs recital includes Beethoven’Äôs Diabelli Variations, Leon Kirchner’Äôs Interlude II, and Liszt’Äôs transcriptions of works by Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart. South Korean-born Minsoo Sohn began piano studies at age three. One of his earliest inspirations was Henryk Szeryng’Äôs legendary recording of Bach’Äôs Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. While the violin first captured his attention, he grew to appreciate the piano’Äôs many voices and tonal colours. In addition to his Honens win, Sohn was a top prizewinner at the Rubinstein, Cleveland, Busoni and Hilton Head International Piano Competitions, and received laureate prizes at Belgium’Äôs Queen Elisabeth and Santander’Äôs Paloma O’ÄôShea Competitions.

William Aide, Chairman of the 2006 Honens Jury, speaks to Sohn’Äôs artistry: ’ÄúMinsoo Sohn is an artist of Olympian magnitude. To the Diabelli and Goldberg Variations he brings a structural clarity and an expansive range of dramatic characterization. His Liszt is unsurpassable in its lyric refinement and sonic splendour, qualities reminiscent of great Lisztians of the past, such as Egon Petri and Grigory Ginzburg.’Äù Sohn’Äôs debut recording of Liszt transcriptions received four out of four stars from The Toronto Star earlier this year: ’ÄúSohn tosses off the fearsome technical challenges without breaking stride, while at the same time elegantly colouring each mood,’Äù wrote John Terauds.

Minsoo Sohn’Äôs Glenn Gould Studio concert comes just days before his debut at New York’Äôs Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on October 8. Both concerts are made possible by the Honens Competition’Äôs comprehensive Artistic and Career Development Program, one of the most lucrative prizes in the world of international music competitions.

Tickets for the October 3 recital are $15 to $25 and are available through the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office at (416) 872-4255 or online at roythomson.com.

Honens International Piano Competition is among the world’Äôs most prestigious events of its kind. It searches the world to discover ’ÄúComplete Artists’Äù ’Äì 21st century musicians for 21st century audiences. The Sixth International Piano Competition, presented by Nexen Inc., takes place in Calgary, October 22 to November 6, 2009. For more information visit honens.com .