Sun-Young Nam

Pianist Sun-Young Nam was born in South Korea and began her piano studies at the Seoul National University with Prof. Hie-Yon Choi. She went on to study in Germany at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media as well as at the University of Music in Karlsruhe with Prof. Kaya Han where she graduated with a Soloist degree. Furthermore, she holds a degree in Chamber Music from the University of Music and Drama in Hamburg with Prof. Niklas Schmidt.                   

Since her arrival in Germany, the interpretation of contemporary music has been one of the main focuses of her work. At the Stockhausen Courses in Kürten, Sun-Young Nam was twice awarded the first prize for her performances. In the 2009/10 season, she was able to intensify her studies as a scholarship recipient at the International Academy of the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt. During this time, she began cooperating closely with contemporary composers who helped to further shape her aesthetic understanding and artistic vision. Particularly important in this process were amongst others Karlheinz Stockhausen, Klaus Huber, Friedrich Cerha, Helmut Lachenmann, Younghi Pagh-Paan, and Mark André.

Sun-Young Nam is a founding member of Trio Catch and performs with MAM.manufaktur für aktuelle Musik, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Resonanz and Ensemble Linea as well as as a soloist throughout Europe and in Asia. She has appeared at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, ARS Musica Brussels, Wien Modern, International Darmstadt Summer Courses and Donaueschinger Musiktage, among others.

Sun-Young Nam is a regular guest of radio broadcast productions for contemporary music (ie. WDR, NDR, Deutschlandradio and rbb) and has premiered an extensive number of new works. In 2010 she was involved in the Ensemble Modern Media’s DVD production of Mauricio Kagel’s „Exotica“. Her performances on the collection of historical keyboard instruments at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg represent a significant portion of the complete film series available as part of the museum’s multimedia eBOOKs in its collection.

Since 2020, Sun-Young Nam has been a professor of piano and contemporary chamber music at the University of cooperative Education in Darmstadt.