"You have to play so the music is heard, not just the notes. Notes are merely tools for music. Don't be shy — express yourself in rich, varied ways."
Inside a rehearsal room at the Tongyeong International Music Hall on March 29, pianist Cho Seong-jin was passionately conducting a lesson for students. The master class was part of the educational program of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, which opened on March 27 and runs through April 5.
Despite his grueling international touring schedule, Cho performs on Korean stages every year, but master classes have been rare. A class held two years ago for the 30th anniversary of Credia was the only prior occasion. This time, the session drew even more attention after it was revealed that Cho himself had proposed the idea. A foundation official said, "After Cho decided to perform at the festival, he personally proposed holding a master class," adding, "This class, made possible by his pure talent donation, is a precious time whose value cannot be measured in money."
On this day, Cho led a nearly three-hour session that was cautious yet meticulous and thorough. The three participating students were teenage prodigies Park Hae-rim, Lee Ju-eon and Hong Seok-young, all of whom have distinguished themselves at international competitions. The pieces they prepared were Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1, Piano Sonata No. 3 and "Scarbo" from Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit." Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 is the piece Cho performed when he won the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015.
Cho went through individual phrases and notes one by one, asking students to replay passages or demonstrating himself. "If it were me, I wouldn't use the pedal here — I'd play it as if speaking. You must imbue meaning into every small note. 'Piano' should be played as if whispering, and 'forte' should not simply be loud but expressed with grandeur."
Rather than giving one-sided instructions, Cho also showed a teacher's instinct for guiding participants to think for themselves through questions. "What do you feel when you play this part? What are you thinking about as you perform?" he asked, advising them to consider the structure, flow and emotion of the piece together.
Cho drew on his characteristic expressiveness to spark the students' musical imagination. In Chopin, he emphasized organic flow and structure; in Ravel, he stressed orchestral-like tonal variety. In the latter section of Chopin's Sonata No. 3, he explained, "Start as if praying alone in a pitch-dark room, then gradually let the light come in, and finally play as if you're opening the door and walking out." For "Scarbo," he instructed, "The first three notes should be eerie and mysterious — not played prettily but expressed as if glass is shattering."
He also offered practical advice on a musician's attitude. To a student who kept making mistakes out of nervousness, he said, "Making mistakes is better than lacking confidence," emphasizing a bold approach. He also shared a tip: "Even while playing, try practicing as if you were a conductor, looking at the entire piece from above."
Above all, his affectionate advice for younger musicians drew particular attention. After listening to 15-year-old Lee Ju-eon — the youngest participant — play Bach, Cho pondered deeply for a while before asking a question. "How many hours a day do you practice piano? What do you do when you're not practicing?" When Lee answered that he practices six hours a day and does nothing else in particular, Cho smiled and said, "I'm the same way," before continuing. "This might sound like nagging from an old-timer, but don't practice too hard. Go watch other people's performances, hang out with friends and have fun. That's the only way you won't burn out and can keep playing for a long time." His message was that at such a young age, one should look further ahead rather than focusing solely on immediate practice or competitions.
The participating students responded enthusiastically. Lee Ju-eon said he was "extremely nervous" but added, "I will deeply take to heart the advice that a musician needs to accumulate many experiences." Park Hae-rim shared her reaction: "I listen to him almost every day — he's a pianist I deeply admire, so being taught by him directly feels unbelievably wonderful."
Meanwhile, Cho returns to the Tongyeong International Music Festival as a featured performer for the first time in two years. Following the opening concert, he is set to present a wide-ranging repertoire spanning from classical to modern — including Bach, Schumann, Schoenberg and Chopin — at his recital on March 30.