Seong-Jin Cho has been a force of fresh air in the classical world, offering gorgeous renditions of Western masterpieces by Chopin, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and others. Rising to the fore in various international competitions and dazzling audiences in the festival circuits, Cho has distinguished himself as not only a rising star, but a leading interpreter of the classics.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1994, Cho began playing piano at a very early age, giving his first public recital when he was 12. He went on to graduate from Seoul Arts High School and traveled to study with Michel Béroff at the Conservatoire de Paris.

In 2008, Cho won the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition for Young Pianists. After that, he won the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2009 and the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015. He won Third Prize at both the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia in 2011 and the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv in 2014.

Outside of competing, Cho has worked with illustrious conductors and orchestras all over the world: Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Lorin Maazel and the Munich Philharmonic, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Additionally, he's played festivals in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and New York.

Cho's recording premiere came with his signing to the Deutsche Grammophon label and releasing his self-titled album in 2015, which charted at No. 1 in Korea and No. 11 on the U.S. Classical list. The following year, he released Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1, which charted at No. 5 in Korea and at No. 5 on U.S. Classical. He has since released albums of music by Debussy, Beethoven, and Mozart.