Yunchan Lim

Yunchan Lim (; born March 20, 2004) is a South Korean pianist. In 2022, he gained widespread recognition when he became the youngest person ever to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at 18 years old. In 2023, he signed an exclusive contract with Decca. His first album on the label, Chopin: Études, won the Piano Award at the 2024 Gramophone Classical Music Awards.

Early life and education Lim was born in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He started piano lessons at age seven and entered the Music Academy of Seoul Arts Center a year later. He began to take the piano more seriously at age nine and studied piano with Kay Kyung Eun Kim. After winning the 2022 Van Cliburn competition, Lim transferred to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in September 2023, where his piano teacher Minsoo Sohn had newly joined the faculty.

Career

2018–2022: Early career In 2018, Lim received both the Second Prize and Chopin Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists, where he performed with the Cleveland Orchestra in the final round. In 2019, he became the youngest ever winner of the Isang Yun Competition at fifteen years old. He also won two special prizes, the Audience Award and the Best Performance of a New Work.

In 2023, Lim was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list under the Arts category for Asia. On July 7 of the same year, the Steinway & Sons label released an album of Lim's live performance of Liszt's Transcendental Études from the semi-final round of the Van Cliburn competition. The album debuted at number 5 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums chart.

In August 2023, Crescendo, a feature documentary that follows the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition's proceedings and Lim's emergence, premiered at the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival.

In October 2023, Lim signed with Decca Classics on an exclusive recording contract. His first recording on the label was released on April 19, 2024.

In May 2025, Decca Classics released Lim's live performance of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto from the 2022 Van Cliburn Competition, with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.

On 29 August 2025, Lim performed the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Béla Bartók with the orchestra of the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Italy conducted by Martijn Dendievel.

Discography

+List of albums, with selected details and peak chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions SalesKOR 2020 Young Musicians of Korea Vol. 3 Released: December 2, 2020 Label: KBS Format: CD, digital download, streaming — Beethoven, Isang Yun, Barber (Live) Released: November 28, 2022 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming — Live from the Cliburn – Liszt: Transcendental Etudes Released: July 7, 2023 Label: Steinway & Sons Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming — Chopin: Études, Opp. 10 & 25 Released: April 19, 2024 Label: Decca Music Group Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 16 KOR: 15,871 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 (Live from the 2022 Cliburn Competition) Released: May 16, 2025 Label: Decca Music Group Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 29 KOR: 7,835 Tchaikovsky The Seasons, Op.37a Released: August 22, 2025 Label: Decca Music Group Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 35 KOR: 5,952 The Goldberg Variations Released: February 6, 2026 Label: Decca Music Group Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming ? ?

Awards 2018: Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists – Second Prize 2018: Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition – Third Prize and Audience Prize 2019: Isang Yun Competition – First Prize 2022: Van Cliburn International Piano Competition – Gold Medal, Audience Award, and Best Performance of a New Work 2023: Forbes 30 Under 30 2024: Gramophone Classical Music Awards – Best Piano Recording (Chopin Études), and Young Artist of the Year 2024: Diapason d'Or de l'Année – Jeune Talent (Chopin Études) 2025: BBC Music Magazine Awards – Recording of the Year (Chopin Études), Instrumental Award, and Newcomer Award 2025 Olivier Berggruen Prize, Menuhin Festival Gstaad