Sylvia Hong

Sylvia Hong is known to audiences worldwide as a pianist of imagination and virtuosity. She has performed as a soloist in Italy, Korea, England, and her native United States, in such venues as New York’s Steinway Hall, the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre. As a concerto soloist, Sylvia has played with the most important orchestras in Korea, including the KBS orchestra and city symphonies of Suwon, Busan and Mokpo. In her native United States, she has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and Mt. Vernon Symphony Orchestra. She made her debut at the age of 16 as the 1st prize winner of the National Russian Competition. Sylvia’s three commercial recordings, all compilations of live performances, were produced by the Far East Broadcasting Corporation. She was the Korea Times “Musician of the Year” for 2012.

With her husband, pianist Michael Rector, Sylvia has performed piano duo recitals throughout the United States and abroad. Highlights of their collaboration include an appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, two sold-out concerts on the same day in Busan, Korea, and tour of eastern Europe performing concertos under conductor Jooyong Ahn. They performed a special concert with the Gangneung City Philharmonic during the 2018 Olympic games held in that city. In 2021 Sylvia and Michael won 1st prize at the Ellis Duo Piano Competition, sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs.

Sylvia credits much of her success to her principal teachers-Lydia Frumkin of Oberlin Conservatory, Lee Kum-Sing of the Vancouver Academy of Music, and Benjamin Pasternack of the Peabody Conservatory. Equally passionate as a performer and pedagogue, Sylvia teaches piano at the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay. Prior to her appointment in Wisconsin, she was Assistant Professor and Artist in Residence at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi.