Jae-Hyuck Cho to Perform Fortepiano, Organ, and Three Poulenc Keyboard Concertos in Chuncheon, Bucheon, and Gangneung this October–November

Musician Jae-Hyuck Cho, who presents various facets as a "Keyboard Artist" through his diverse activities as a pianist, organist, and artistic director, will meet classical music fans this autumn with a special performance relay that breaks the boundaries of keyboard instruments.

Having recently concluded his September recital tour "Mozart Essentials," Jae-Hyuck Cho is actively continuing his piano sonata complete recording project to commemorate the 270th anniversary of Mozart's birth. Carrying this momentum into this autumn, he will engage in limitless endeavors, ranging from Mozart concertos performed on the fortepiano to a fusion stage of pipe organ and ballet, and an orchestral collaboration that presents concertos for three different keyboard instruments—harpsichord, piano, and organ—on a single stage.

In the "2026 Haslla International Arts Festival," where he leads the overall planning as an artistic director, he will prove his expanded musical world by performing the world premiere of the piano concerto "Beyond the Inner Self," a commissioned work by composer Texu Kim, along with a unique stage combining classical music and illusion with illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol.

In October, from classical piano concertos to the grand meeting of organ and ballet

The first gate of the autumn performance relay is the closing ceremony of the "29th Chuncheon International Early Music Festival," held on Friday, October 9, at the Chuncheon Culture and Arts Center. Jae-Hyuck Cho will perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, on the "fortepiano," which is the predecessor of the modern piano and a keyboard instrument from Mozart's era. He is expected to present the unique, differentiated tonal colors of Classicism with his characteristic delicate and precise technique.

Immediately following this, on Saturday, October 10, he will appear on the "Organ with Ballet" stage, the finale concert of the Bucheon Arts Center Organ Festival "Sound of BAC, Organ Universe," at the Bucheon Arts Center Concert Hall. In Part 1, he will showcase the inherent grand resonance of the pipe organ with organ solo pieces by Bach, Buxtehude, and Vierne, and in Part 2, he will undertake a unique attempt where organ melodies and dancers' movements harmonize by reinterpreting the main pas de deux music of masterpiece ballets such as "Giselle," "Swan Lake," "Don Quixote," and "The Nutcracker," which are familiar through orchestras, with live organ performances.

In November, Harpsichord, Piano, Organ... Conquering Poulenc's three-colored keyboard concertos on one stage

On Thursday, November 26, he will appear as a soloist for the 341st regular concert of the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, "A Portrait in Contrast," held at the Bucheon Arts Center Concert Hall. Conducting Adrien Perruchon, with whom he will collaborate once again following the 2026 Haslla International Arts Festival stage, Jae-Hyuck Cho will undertake the unparalleled challenge of performing all three keyboard concertos left by the 20th-century French master Francis Poulenc on a single stage.

Jae-Hyuck Cho will sequentially perform Francis Poulenc's Poulenc's Concert champêtre for harpsichord and orchestra, FP 49, Piano Concerto, FP 146, and Concerto for Organ, Timpani and Strings, FP 93, on one stage, and is expected to perfectly realize the contrast and harmony created by the different textures of keyboard sounds, including the elegance of the harpsichord, the modernity of the piano, and the grandeur of the organ. Performing all three different keyboard instrument concertos in a single concert is an extremely unusual program, and it is expected to be a stage that proves the capabilities possible only for the "Keyboard Artist" Jae-Hyuck Cho.

The limitless "all-rounder" steps of Jae-Hyuck Cho in his third year as artistic director

Beyond his performance activities, Jae-Hyuck Cho will lead the overall planning and performance of the "2026 Haslla International Arts Festival," which will take place for ten days starting Friday, October 16, as its artistic director. As a pioneer who has opened the field of lecture concerts in Korea, he will present various fusion stages, including in-depth performances with commentary and "Our Music Feast," which breathes closely with local residents, as well as kids' concerts for children and families.

On Sunday, October 18, at the Gangneung Arts Center Saimdang Hall, he will perform the piano concerto "Beyond the Inner Self" composed by Texu Kim, which was commissioned by the Haslla International Arts Festival, and on Friday, the 23rd, he will present "Light of Haslla: Lee Eun-gyeol X Jae-Hyuck Cho" (hereafter: Light of Haslla) with illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol at the same venue.

In "Beyond the Inner Self," Jae-Hyuck Cho will serve as a soloist under the composer's direction to let the audience hear the first sounds of the new work. After sharing the process of how the score is completed into actual sound during the Part 1 open rehearsal, he will perform the full work for its world premiere in Part 2. In "Light of Haslla," he will play masterpieces such as Chopin's "Minute Waltz" and Debussy's "Clair de lune" with Jae-Hyuck Cho's live piano, while Lee Eun-gyeol's illusion performance visually unfolds the musical narrative on stage.

Jae-Hyuck Cho stated, "All instruments with keys are charming friends that speak in their own languages. This autumn, through new stages that break the boundaries between instruments and genres, I want to unreservedly share the most diverse joys that music can show with the audience."

Jae-Hyuck Cho, who is showing an unrivaled musical spectrum encompassing the entire range of keyboard instruments by moving between pianist, organist, and artistic director, is expected to once again imprint his presence as an "all-rounder" musician through these autumn stages.

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