Sooyeon Baik

Sooyeon Baik is a collaborative pianist from South Korea with a strong command of both vocal and instrumental repertoire. Currently based in London, she has performed throughout the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, Canada, and Korea. She has appeared with her duo partners at distinguished venues including Wigmore Hall and the Barbican in London, Salle Cortot in Paris, and Ehrbar Saal in Vienna.

As a song pianist, Sooyeon has collaborated with eminent artists such as Roderick Williams OBE, Jennifer France, and Morgan Pearse. She has also served as a collaborative pianist for the 2025 Gold Medal of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, and the Eastbourne International Singing Competition, performing with singers who were prizewinners or finalists in these prestigious events. Her recognitions include prizes at the Wales International Piano Festival Accompaniment Competition, the Jubilee Accompaniment Prize, and the Franz Schubert Institut Lieder Prize. In addition, in October 2025, she was selected to compete in the 13th Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Voice–Piano Competition with her duo partner, soprano Felicity Tomkins.

Sooyeon was an Emerging Artist at the 2025 Toronto Summer Music Art of Song, a Young Artist at the 2024 Ludlow English Song Weekend, and undertook further training at the 2024 Franz Schubert Institut, on full scholarship. There, she worked closely with numerous distinguished musicians, including Elly Ameling, Mary Bevan MBE, Iain Burnside, Robert Dean, Helmut Deutsch, Julius Drake, Robert Holl, Wolfram Rieger, Michael Schade, Birgid Steinberger, and Roger Vignoles. She has also appeared in masterclasses with Olaf Bär, Amy Burton, Gerald Finley, Ann Murray DBE, John Musto, Fatma Said, Nicky Spence OBE, Tobias Truniger, and Roderick Williams OBE. Her other mentors include Eugene Asti, Graham Johnson OBE, Richard Stokes, and Sebastian Wybrew.

She recently completed her Artist Diploma in Collaborative Piano with Distinction at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she studied with Julius Drake and Carole Presland, supported by the Leverhulme Trust. Before moving to London, she earned her Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati in the United States. While completing her Artist Diploma, she was concurrently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the University of Cincinnati, studying with Soyeon Kate Lee, Eugene Pridonoff, and Elisabeth Pridonoff. During her doctoral studies, she also undertook a secondary focus in Vocal Collaborative Piano with Kenneth Griffiths – a path that ultimately inspired her move to London.

Sooyeon is currently a Junior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, serving as a collaborative pianist in the String Department, while continuing her work with singers at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama as a staff pianist. Outside of music, she is an enthusiastic wine lover and can often be found pairing classical music with fine wines.