About Hugh
In a Few words…
Hugh Sung has been hailed as one of the finest collaborative pianists of his generation. He has performed and recorded with violinists Aaron Rosand, Hilary Hahn, and Leila Josefowicz, flutists Julius Baker, Jeffrey Khaner, Jasmine Choi, and Gary Schocker, as well as composers Jennifer Higdon, Robert Maggio, and Harold Boatrite. He has also worked extensively with the Philadelphia and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. Hugh served on the faculty of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia for 19 years as its Director of Student Recitals and Instrumental Accompaniment.
In 2008, Hugh co-founded AirTurn, a company that develops hands-free page-turning pedals for digital sheet music.
From 2014 to 2023, Hugh was part of the faculty roster at ArtistWorks, the online music and art school, where he taught through an extensive video curriculum combined with the innovative Video Exchange system, enabling him to work one-on-one with students around the world.
Today, Hugh continues to perform internationally with his wife, Madalina Danila, as the Mada & Hugh Piano Duo, and serves as Vice President at Cunningham Piano, representing Yamaha and Bösendorfer pianos.
Full Bio
Pianist Hugh Sung has been an active soloist and chamber musician ever since his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of 11. Two years later, he was accepted for studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, where his principal teachers included Eleanor Sokoloff, Jorge Bolet, and Seymour Lipkin, along with Karen Tuttle and Felix Galimir for chamber music. Throughout his studies and following his graduation with a Bachelor of Music, Sung has performed in major cities throughout the Americas, England, Canada, South Africa, Japan, and Korea. He has appeared at some of the world's most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall, Wigmore Hall, The National Gallery of Art, and The Ravinia Festival. His performances have been broadcast on radio stations across New York City, Rochester, Philadelphia, and New Zealand, and he has been featured on NPR's nationally syndicated Performance Today performing works by Clementi, Ravel, and Mussorgsky. His concerto engagements include appearances with the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, annual concerts with the Masterworks Festival Orchestras since 1998, and extensive tours with the South Jersey Symphony Orchestra. He was most recently featured on Japanese National Television NHK in collaboration with violinist Aaron Rosand during a recital at Ouji Hall in the Ginza district of Tokyo.
In addition to his solo performances, Sung has received critical acclaim as a chamber musician. He has been featured in the Philadelphia Orchestra's Chamber Music series and has collaborated with ensembles and artists such as The American Quartet, the Diaz Trio, Jeffrey Khaner, Julius Baker, Gary Schocker, Hilary Hahn, Leila Josefowicz, and composers Jennifer Higdon, Robert Maggio, and Harold Boatrite. His recordings with Aaron Rosand appear on the Biddulph and Vox labels, and his work can also be heard under the I Virtuosi, CRI, and Avie labels.
In 1993, Sung joined the staff of the Curtis Institute of Music, serving as Director of Instrumental Accompaniment and its acclaimed Student Recitals Series until his 2009 appointment as faculty Collaborative Pianist. He remained on the Curtis faculty until 2012.
In 2008, Sung co-founded AirTurn, Inc. (www.AirTurn.com), a company that develops innovative technologies for musicians, including wireless hands-free page-turning pedals. He has also been an early adopter of digital performance technology, using Tablet PCs to convert his music library into digital format and creating multimedia concert experiences such as the Visual Recital, which synchronizes live performance with images, animation, and video.
From 2014 to 2023, Sung taught through ArtistWorks, the pioneering online music and art school, where he led an extensive video curriculum combined with its innovative Video Exchange system, enabling him to work directly with students around the world.
Currently, Sung performs internationally with his wife, Madalina Danila, as the Mada & Hugh Piano Duo. He also serves as Vice President of Cunningham Piano, one of America’s oldest and most respected piano companies, representing Yamaha and Bösendorfer pianos.
한국 전기
독주와 챔버 음악가로 활발히 활동하고 있는 피아니스트 휴 성은 11세에 필라델피아 오케스트라와 협연으로 데뷔하였다. 2년 후 그는 커티스 음악원에 입학하여 엘레노어 소콜로프(Eleanor Sokoloff), 조지 볼레트(Jorge Bolet), 시모어 립킨(Seymour Lipkin)에게 사사하였으며, 실내악에서는 케런 투틀(Karen Tuttle), 펠릭스 갈리미르(Felix Galimir)에게 배웠다. 커티스 음악원 졸업 후 그는 미국, 영국, 캐나다, 남아프리카, 일본, 한국 등 세계 주요 도시에서 활발히 연주하며, 뉴욕 카네기 홀, 웨일 홀, 런던 위그모어 홀, 내셔널 갤러리, 라비니아 페스티벌 등 저명한 무대에 초청되었다. 뉴욕, 로체스터, 필라델피아, 뉴질랜드의 라디오 방송에도 출연하였으며 NPR 전국 라디오 프로그램 Performance Today에서 Clementi, Ravel, Mussorgsky 연주가 방영되었다. 협연자로서 그는 필라델피아 오케스트라 챔버 뮤직 시리즈, Masterworks Festival Orchestra와의 매년 협연, 남부뉴저지 심포니 오케스트라와의 순회 연주 등을 이어오고 있으며, 일본 NHK 방송에서는 바이올리니스트 아론 로잔드와의 오오지 홀 공연 실황이 방영되었다.
그는 아메리칸 콰르텟, 디아즈 트리오, 제프리 케이너, 줄리어스 베이커, 최나경(Jasmine Choi), 힐러리 한, 레일라 조세포비치 등 뛰어난 연주자 및 작곡가 제니퍼 히그돈(Jennifer Higdon), 로버트 마지오(Robert Maggio), 해럴드 보트라이트(Harold Boatrite)와 협연하였다. 그의 연주는 Biddulph, Vox, I Virtuosi, CRI, Avie 등 여러 음반사에서 발매되었다.
1993년부터 커티스 음악원에 합류한 그는 기악반주과 교수 및 영재 연주회 시리즈 디렉터를 거쳐 2009년 협연피아노 교수로 임명되었다.
2008년 그는 혁신적인 무대 기술을 개발하는 회사 AirTurn, Inc.(www.AirTurn.com)를
공동 설립하여 무선 악보 넘김 장치를 포함한 다양한 솔루션을 선보였다. 또한 태블릿 PC를 이용해 악보를 완전히 디지털화하였으며, 이미지와 애니메이션, 영상 등을 실시간 연주와 결합한 새로운 무대 형식인 Visual Recital을 개발하였다.
2014년부터 2023년까지 그는 온라인 음악 교육 기관 ArtistWorks의 교수진으로 활동하며, 동영상 커리큘럼과 비디오 익스체인지(Video Exchange) 시스템을 통해 세계 각지의 학생들과 1대1로 소통하며 가르쳤다.
현재 그는 아내 마달리나 다닐라(Madalina Danila)와 함께 마다 & 휴 피아노 듀오(Mada & Hugh Piano Duo)로 전 세계 무대에서 연주하고 있으며, Yamaha와 Bösendorfer를 비롯한 명품 피아노 브랜드를 대표하는 미국의 전통 있는 피아노 회사 Cunningham Piano의 부사장으로 재직 중이다.