Mrs iO was born in Seoul and was discovered to be a child prodigy when she was eight years of age. She has taught at the Academy of Music in Seoul. This internationally well-known Korean pianist gives concerts and master classes in South Korea, Japan, China and Europe. In December 2006, Mrs iO will be giving another concert in the Opera House (Gewandhaus) in Leipzig. Because of the unique manner and depth of her interpretation, she is a musician who moves and touches people’s hearts.

On the program for May 7, 2007 in the Konzerthaus (Concert Hall) am Gendarmenmarkt under the patronage of the former President of the Federal Republic Prof. Richard von Weizsäcker were works by Mozart, Beethoven, Satie, Handel, Dvorak, and Sibelius.

“In the works which I have chosen, it is possible to detect an overwhelming love which gives rise to pain, longing and poetry. All of this is something which can be felt by the soul, the heart and the feelings of the hearer.”

With her brilliant and sensitive playing, the pianist iO conveys the poetry and purity of the musical works. Some of the works which she plays have been adapted by Mrs iO herself. They take the hearer on a journey into the world of her soul. The intention of the musician is to use the pieces which she has carefully chosen to tell a story which the listener will want to hear from beginning to end.

“What I find so captivating about the relationship between music and poetry is the expressiveness of the storytelling when the two artistic forms are combined.”

Among other things, Mrs iO’s strength lies in the particular tenderness and poetic expressiveness with which she interprets the works of Erik Satie. She is one of the few pianists to have specialised in works by E. Satie.

In Germany, the pianist has already published the CD with the title “the art of iO”. This will in August of this year be followed by two further recordings, one of which will only contain works by Satie – among others, the largely unknown 7eme Gnossienne, Alez, Calme. On the second CD entitled “Poesie (Poetry)”, it will be possible to hear works by Chopin, J. Rodrigo, Beethoven, Debussy, Grieg, Shostakovich, and others.

“When choosing masterpieces of classical music, I think that it is particularly important to combine pieces which best represent and tell my world of music.”

Pianist iO’s greatest desire is to help children and place her musical gift at the service of this cause. Her earnings and the proceeds from the concerts go to UNICEF. Further benefit concerts are planned for UNICEF in Germany and Europe in the future.

“Children cannot choose where they are born. Hunger and disease are the cause of much suffering for many. We cannot forget the children who are suffering on this Earth simply because we are not confronted by them everyday. All the time I can still move my fingers, I will continue with my task!”Dr. Elisabeth Henze
Journalist
Berlin, September 2006