Yunchan Lim

A phenomenally thrilling talent, pianist Yunchan Lim is the youngest person in history to win the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at the age of 18, in 2022. Lim has been recognised by the conductor Marin Alsop as ‘a rare artist who brings profound musicality and prodigious technique organically together’ and has himself stated that ‘I have made up my mind that I will live my life only for the sake of music… I wanted my music to become deeper, and if that desire reached the audience, I am satisfied’. His prize-winning performance of Liszt’s Transcendental Études from the Van Cliburn competition was released in July 2023 creating, as reported by Gramophone magazine, ‘a buzz throughout the international piano competition’. For the 2025 Abu Dhabi Festival, Lim plays the gold standard of works, JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations.