Hyeji Bak

Percussion Soloist

Hyeji Bak is globally recognized as a percussion soloist, adored by audiences and colleagues alike. She is the first Korean to win First Prize in the Percussion Category of the 2019 Geneva International Music, also sweeping six Special Prizes, including Audience Prize, Young Audience Prize, Students Prize, Yamaha Young Artists Scholarship, Concerts de Jussy Prize and Bergerault Marimba Prize. Additionally, she won First Prize and three Special Prizes (Recording Prize, Public Prize and Best Performance set Concerto) in the Universal Marimba Competition, First Prize of Sparda Classic Awards, Third Prize of International Percussion Competition at Northwestern University and Second Prize of August-Everding Music Competition in Munich.

In April 2021, Hyeji Bak, along with the Seoul Philharmonic, performed the Korean premiere of Speaking Drum by Péter Eötvös. She has also previously collaborated with famous conductors including Julien Leroy, Li Biao, Jaejoon Lee, Hongsik Kim and Narah Chung. She has furthered the collaboration of European and Korean classical music by performing with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Ensemble Quodlibet, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Jeju Chamber Orchestra and Daegu Prodigy Youth Orchestra.

As an active soloist, Hyeji Bak has been invited to globally renown festivals including Festival Classique des Haudères, Festival de Pau, International Percussion Ensemble Week(IPEW), the 50th Anniversary of the Kolberg Festival and Percussion PULSE 2020 held by The Royal Danish Academy of Music, as well as recitals held in Jussy, Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland, and Paris, France. She has performed in many impressive venues including Seoul Arts Center, LOTTE Concert Hall, Suseong Artpia, and Daegu Concert House.

Hyeji Bak began her studies in percussion when she was 15 years old and completed her master’s course and the supreme performer’s program in Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart. She graduated from Seoul National University and studied under Gyeonghwan Choi and Marta Klimasara.