S. Korean classical music fans rush to buy tickets for piano prodigy's recital

By Park Sae-jin Posted : January 3, 2017, 10:24 Updated : January 3, 2017, 10:52

Cho Seong-jin (right) poses for a photo shoot with Russian pianist and composer Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev. [Cho Seong-jin's Facebook]


Like K-pop stars, Cho Seong-jin, a 22-year-old piano prodigy who won the world-renowned International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, is fueling a classical music boom with fans joining in on a desperate search to buy tickets for his recital.

His three-day concert in Seoul from Tuesday has caused ticket touting. As the tickets were sold out in just nine minutes after they were released, online classical music communities and ticket markets have been filled with inquiries about paying a premium. 

The ticket for R seats was originally priced at 110,000 won (91 US dollars), but fans are desperate because this would be Cho's only solo recital in Seoul this year.

Cho became the first South Korean artist to win the "XVII International Chopin Piano Competition", one of the world's most prestigious classical music competitions, in 2015. Because of his superb performances and popularity, he has been busy with concerts abroad.

South Korea's love for Cho is quite special, and he has been respected as a classical music idol.  In a rare case in November last year, his performance was shown live through Naver's V App, a smartphone application for the live broadcasting of concerts and performances by K-pop stars. For 90 minutes, more than 55,000 people were connected to the app.

 
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