Ambassador-turned pianist Suh was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006
Stage pianist and Korea Foundation for Women (KFW) ambassador Suh Hai-kyung will commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the KFW with Philharmonia Corea, formed in 2009 to share music with social minorities, at Kim Young-ui Hall.
The “Nanoom Concert,” which means “sharing concert” in Korean, takes place on December 9 at 6:30 p.m. under the theme “hope for daughters,” which is also one of the foundation’s slogans. The concert is held for free as a way of showing gratitude to donors, cooperating women’s organizations and volunteers. KBS announcer and KFW ambassador Jin Yang-hye (‘92, Mathematics) will host the concert.
The KFW is Korea's first nongovernmental public interest foundation in Korea for women. It was to promote women’s equality. Leaders from all levels of society and 124 domestic organizations for women launched the foundation under the slogan “Open a bright new millennium for our daughters!” on Dec. 6, 1999.
The concert will have two parts; one to evaluate KFW’s last 10 years and look at its vision for the decade ahead. The other will be the musical performance. “We plan to raise funds and thank the ones who helped KFW during the event,” KFW chairperson, Cho Hyoung said in the invitation card for the concert.
Suh was named ambassador of KFW in 2004. She will donate one percent of her annual income to the KFW until her death as one means of sharing her musical talent. Her passion for enhancing women’s rights has led her to play piano for KFW events and write the “hope column” for the institution’s newsletter. Suh was also a member of a campaign promoting women’s rights on MBC radio in May 2008.
Suh began playing piano at the age of 5 and made her public debut at 9. She also received the Busoni Prize for young pianists, the first Asian to do so when she was only 21.
Suh was also granted an Order of Cultural Merit from the Korean government in 1981 as the youngest recipient ever. She was named one of the world’s top three pianists by the Carnegie Hall in 1988.
However, after all her success, she faced hardships that almost ended her career. A sudden muscle rupture occurred in her right arm, which was five inches bigger than the left due to Suh’s extreme practice. Suh overcame the obstacle by turning her passion to studying music in the PhD program at Julliard School.
Misfortune struck again in 2006. Suh was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through 33 sessions of radiotherapy. “When I first found out about cancer, I repeated to myself why now and me on the time I felt I first acknowledged true sound of piano,” said Suh in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “However, I thought I would swallow any hardship if I could only play the piano. Piano is as same as water and air to me.”
After her recovery, Suh announced her comeback by playing the background music in “Beethoven Virus,” a television drama that won big popularity and brought out people’s interest in classical music. Suh is now actively performing including a recital tour called “Night & Dream,” from January to March of this year.
For the occasion with KFA, Suh is preparing one song with the orchestra, Variations on a Theme of Paganini by S.V. Rachmaninov. She will present another six piano solos, including Night and Dream by F. Schubert and Widmung (Dedication) by R. Schumann-Liszt which are both on her new album “Nacht Und Traume.”
Caption: Stage pianist and KFW ambassador Suh Hai-kyung will visit Ewha on December 9 and hold
the "Nanoom Concert" for free.