August Baik - Solo Classical Piano

Acknowledged for his "unique voice”, 20-year-old August Baik has established a multifaceted identity as a performer, composer, and collaborator. Born in Seattle, he currently pursues his bachelor's degree at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stephen Drury. A Fellow of From the Top, Baik’s recent achievements include reaching the quarterfinals of the Honens International Piano Competition, and receiving top honors at the NEC Piano Honors Competition, the Sherer International Violin and Piano Competition and the KING FM Young Artist Awards.

August has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Virtuosi Bruneses Orchestra (Perugia, Italy), the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, the Bellevue Symphony, and the Tacoma Music Collective. His recent solo highlights feature appearances on the Boston Symphony Orchestra's prelude series, where he performed works by contemporary composers like Kevin Puts, Tania León, Carlos Simon, and Andrew Norman. He also performed for the Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 at the Goethe-Institut Boston, and was featured in the Marion Rubin Berman '31 Piano Honors Concert. A versatile artist, his additional performance credits include NEC Piano Department: Ives 150, Fauré and Scarlatti, and [nec]shivaree. August’s performances can also be heard on multiple recordings for NPR Music’s Live Sessions.

August has attended numerous prestigious music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival as a recipient of the 2026 Leonard Bernstein Piano Fellowship and the 2025 Toby Donner Scholarship in Solo Piano at the Music Academy of the West.

An avid chamber musician, August is an alumnus of the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Academy. Chamber performance highlight this year is performing alongside Takács Quartet violist Richard O’Neill and violinist James Garlick at the Music On The Straits. Beyond the stage, August is an active participant in NEC’s Community Performances and Partnerships, bringing music to underserved neighborhoods.

August Baik is a Seattle-based composer who refined his self-taught skills in the Seattle Symphony's Young Composers Workshop under Angelique Poteat. His growing portfolio includes chamber and symphonic works performed across Washington, highlighted by notable regional premieres and upcoming collaborations. d-이-alogues a chamber piece commissioned by the Seattle Symphony featured violist Mara Gearman, bassist Will Langlie Miletich and flutist Jeffrey Barker. The Seattle Symphony presented the second performance of Chuseok Overture (2023) featured in the 2023–2024 Celebrate Asia concert.

Program:

Frederic Rzewski: Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues

Mozart: Sonata in C minor, K.457

-Break-

Schumann: Symphonic Etudes

Event Details:

*This concert is a ticketed event and will begin promptly at 4pm and last until 5:30-6pm, with a brief intermission. Please plan to arrive about 15-20 minutes early for check in and seating.

**No children under 6 years old are allowed. Ages 6-12 are free. *If you plan to bring children you MUST notify us beforehand so we can plan accordingly - otherwise we may not have enough seats, ticket holders have the right to seats first.