Celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday this season by discovering the human side of the great composer. Join us on a musical and spiritual journey through the phases of Beethoven’s life. Young artists from the Colburn Conservatory of Music perform his 32 piano sonatas in the order of Opus numbers. Pre-concert talks with Mark Travis provide insights into the time and place they were written, providing a new way of experiencing these well-loved works.

Born in Seoul, pianist GUNYOUNG HWANG began performing at the age of seven and later enrolled at the prestigious Yewon Arts School and the Seoul Art High School. Mr. Hwang pursued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin under the mentorship of Prof. Fabio Bidini. He was the recipient of the  'Deutschland Stipendium' scholarship from the Yamaha Corporation during his undergraduate degree. Mr. Hwang has received several noteworthy prizes included First Prizes at the Bechstein and Eumyeon Competitions, and a Special Prize win at the Artsilvia Foundation Audition. Mr. Hwang continued his studies at the University for Music and Dance in Cologne for a Konzertexamen degree (the highest distinction). Gunyoung Hwang is an artist diploma candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music where he studies with Carol Colburn Grigor Piano Chair, Fabio Bidini.