BIO

DEUTSCH

Dongkyu Leo Kim, geboren 1994 in Seoul/Südkorea, ist als Konzertpianist tätig, tritt weltweit in Konzerten auf und lebt in Berlin und Seoul. In seiner musikalischen Arbeit verbindet er die Interpretation virtuoser klassischer Klavierliteratur mit zeitgenössischen Formaten und Improvisationen. Die Verbindung von traditioneller koreanischer und europäischer Kunstmusik ist ihm ein besonderes Anliegen. Bereits als junger Künstler war er ein Stipendiat der Yamaha Foundation Korea.

Nach Studien an der Korea National University of Arts Seoul, an der Universität der Künste Berlin und an der Hochschule für Musik Mainz (u. bei Elena Lapitskaja, Lucas Blondeel, Wolfgang Manz und Thomas Hell) führte ihn sein musikalischer Weg auf Konzertpodien in Italien, Frankreich, Kanada, Korea, Spanien, Japan, Schweiz und Tschechien. Mit Soloprogrammen wurde er u.a.zum International Music Festival Deià / Spanien und an die Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai / Japan eingeladen. 2023 interpretierte Kim mit der Sinfonietta Darmstadt (unter der Leitung von Michael Nündel) Beethovens 4. Klavierkonzert und mit den Mainzer Virtuosi Mozarts Klavierkonzert in F-Dur.

Dongkyu Leo Kim war bei renommierten Klavierwettbewerben zu Gast, so u.a. beim Concours de Genève und beim Prague Spring Festival. Erste Preise gewann er bei internationalen Klavierwettbewerben, so u.a. in Vancouver, Danubia in Budapest ,Gold Hands Awards in Girona/Spanien, Ischia, San Donà di Piave in Italien und Euregio in Deutschland. 2020/21 war er Stipendiat der Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, 2022 erhielt er den Rotary-Kulturförderpreis in Mainz.

Seit 2021 lehrt Dongkyu Leo Kim an der Hochschule für Musik der Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz. Im selben Jahr legte er mit Interpretationen der Klavierwerke von Albéniz und Granados sein CD-Debüt beim spanischen Label KNS Classical vor. Die Aufnahme wurde im deutschen Radio-sender SWR2 vorgestellt und gehörte auf iTunes 2024 zu den meist gehörten Alben.

Als Pianist und Performance-Künstler war Dongkyu Leo Kim u.a. am Schauspiel Köln, im Literarischen Colloquium Berlin und regelmäßig in der Volksbühne Berlin zu erleben. Im November 2025 kam dort sein interdisziplinäres Projekt PIANO FOR NON-SENSES mit unbekannten Klavierwerken von Nam June Paik, Sunnam Kim, John Cage und Karlheinz Stockhausen zur performativen Uraufführung, gefördert vom Berliner Hauptstadtkulturfonds. 2025 interpretierte Kim Klaviermusik von Christfried Schmidt in der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche und war auf Einladung des Künstlerprogramms des DAAD und des Hauses für Poesie mit Werken der äthiopischen Komponistin Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou im Silent Green Kulturquartier Berlin zu hören.

Mit seinem Klavierduo TASTE interpretiert Dongkyu Leo Kim seit 2023 Literatur zu vier Händen. Das renommierte Duo gastierte mit Neuentdeckungen der Klavierwerke von Leopold Schefer und Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy u.a. am Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig, in der Mendelssohn-Remise Berlin, im Schloss und Gutshof Britz und im Palais Lichtenau/Potsdam.

ENGLISH

Dongkyu Leo Kim, born in 1994 in Seoul, South Korea, is an active concert pianist who performs internationally and lives in Berlin and Seoul. In his artistic work, he combines interpretations of virtuosic classical piano repertoire with contemporary formats and improvisation. A central focus of his musical approach is the connection between traditional Korean and European art music.

At an early age, he was awarded a scholarship from the Yamaha Foundation Korea.

After studying at the Korea National University of Arts Seoul, Universität der Künste Berlin, and Hochschule für Musik Mainz (with Elena Lapitskaja, Lucas Blondeel, Wolfgang Manz, and Thomas Hell), his musical career led him to concert stages in Italy, France, Canada, Korea, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. He has been invited with solo programs to festivals and venues such as the International Music Festival Deià (Spain) and the Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai (Japan). In 2023, Kim performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Sinfonietta Darmstadt under the direction of Michael Nündel and Mozart’s Piano Concerto in F major with the Mainzer Virtuosi.

Dongkyu Leo Kim has participated in renowned piano competitions, including the Concours de Genève and the Prague Spring Festival. He has won first prizes at numerous international piano competitions, including those in Vancouver, Danubia in Budapest, Gold Hands Awards Girona/Spain and Eugerio in Deutschland. In 2020/21, he was a scholarship holder of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, and in 2022 he received the Rotary Cultural Promotion Prize in Mainz.

Since 2021, Dongkyu Leo Kim has been teaching at the Hochschule für Musik at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. In the same year, he released his debut CD with interpretations of piano works by Albéniz and Granados on the Spanish label KNS Classical. The recording was featured on the German radio SWR2 and became one of the most listened to albums on iTunes in 2024.

As a pianist and performance artist, Dongkyu Leo Kim has appeared at Schauspiel Köln, the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, and regularly at the Volksbühne Berlin. In November 2025, his interdisciplinary project PIANO FOR NON-SENSES, featuring rarely performed piano works by Nam June Paik, Sunnam Kim, John Cage, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, was premiered there as a performative production, supported by the Berlin Capital Cultural Fund. In 2025, Kim performed piano music by Christfried Schmidt at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and, upon invitation from the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program and the Haus für Poesie, presented works by the Ethiopian composer Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou at the Silent Green Kulturquartier Berlin.

With his piano Duo TASTE , Dongkyu Leo Kim has been performing four-hand piano repertoire since 2023. The acclaimed duo has appeared with newly discovered works by Leopold Schefer and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at venues including the Mendelssohn House Leipzig, the Mendelssohn-Remise Berlin, Schloss und Gutshof Britz, and Palais Lichtenau in Potsdam.

Korean

피아니스트 김동규/ Dongkyu Leo KIM 는 한국에서 김영숙 강충모 김나영 교수님을 사사하였고 한국예술종합학교 예비학교,예원학교 졸업후 만 16세에 한국예술종합학교 학사 를 입학한뒤 바로 도독하여 베를린 국립예술대학교 Universität der Künste Berlin 에서 Prof. Elena Lapitskaja, Lucas Blondeel/ Prof. Wolfgang Manz 가르침 아래 학사, 석사 를 최우수졸업후 마인츠 국립음대 Hochschule für Musik der Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz 에서 Prof. Thomas Hell 가르침 아래 최고연주자 과정을 최우수 만점 으로 졸업하였다 또한 Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation 에서 장학생 으로 선정되어 2022년 에는 Rotary Cultural Promotion Prize 문화예술상 을 수상하였다.

그는 일찍이 야마하 한국 재단 에서 장학금 을 받으며 많은 국내콩쿨에서 음연콩클,한미피아노,음악교육 신문사 에서 1위 베토벤, 브람스, 틴에이져 등 다수 국내콩쿨 에서 수상을 하였고 도독한뒤 Concours de Genève, Prague Spring Festival, ARD 등 국제적으로 권위 있는 콩쿠르에 참가하였으며, Vancouver International Piano Competition, Danubia International Piano Competition Budapest, Ischia, San Donà di Piave Italy, Gold Hands Awards Girona/Spain, Euregio International Piano Competition Germny 등 다수의 국제 피아노 콩쿠르에서 1위를 수상하였다.

뿐만 아니라 International Music Festival Deià (Spain) 및 Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai (Japan) 등 초청과 더불어 지휘자 Michael Nündel 가 이끄는 Sinfonietta Darmstadt와 함께 Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4를 협연하였으며, Mainzer Virtuosi와 Mozart Piano Concerto in F major를 연주하였고 여러 페스티발 초청 으로 이탈리아, 프랑스, 캐나다, 스페인, 스위스, 체코 등 에서 연주 활동을 이어 나가고 있다.

또한 스페인 레이블 KNS Classical에서 Albéniz와 Granados의 피아노 작품을 수록한 데뷔 음반을 발표하였고 독일 라디오 SWR2 에 음반이 소개되었으며 2024년에 iTunes 에서 가장 많이 들은 앨범 으로 선정 되었었다 또한 피아노 듀오 Klavierduo TASTE 로 활발히 활동하고있으며

피아니스트이자 퍼포먼스 아티스트로서 Schauspiel Köln, Literarisches Colloquium Berlin, 그리고 Volksbühne Berlin 등에서 활동하고있다. 2025년 11월 Volksbühne Berlin에서 Nam June Paik, Sunnam Kim, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen의 잘 알려지지 않은 피아노 작품들을 선보인 interdisciplinary 프로젝트 PIANO FOR NON-SENSES를 초연하였으며, 이는 Berlin Capital Cultural Fund의 지원을 받았다. 같은 해 Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church에서 Christfried Schmidt의 작품을 연주하였고, DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program과 Haus für Poesie의 초청으로 Silent Green Kulturquartier Berlin에서 에티오피아 작곡가 Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou의 작품을 연주하였다 또한 Leopold Schefer와 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy의 새롭게 조명된 작품들로 Mendelssohn House Leipzig, Mendelssohn-Remise Berlin, Schloss und Gutshof Britz, Palais Lichtenau (Potsdam) 등에서 연주하였다.

현재 2021년부터 Hochschule für Musik der Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz에서 강사로 출강하고 있다.