Organist
Sunkyung Noh
Sunkyung Noh was born in South Korea and began playing the organ at the age of 16. She studied under Professor Dong-ill Shin at Yonsei University in Seoul. In 2018, she pursued two master’s degrees in Organ and Claviorganum at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, studying with Professor Wolfgang Zerer, and also studied harpsichord with Professor Menno van Delft. From 2022 to 2024, she continued her advanced studies in the Meisterklasse program at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig with Professor Martin Schmeding.
During her undergraduate studies, Noh won first prize in the general division of the Korea Organist Association Competition and first prize at the Catholic University of Korea Church Music Conservatory. She later became the youngest finalist at the Asia Organ Competition (organized by the AGO Taiwan Chapter), where she earned second prize. A consistent recipient of academic excellence scholarships, she was awarded the Yonsei University College of Music Alumni Association Scholarship and was also recognized by the Korea Academic Scholarship Foundation as an exceptional artistic talent, receiving a full-tuition scholarship.
She has been actively performing since her university years, appearing at venues such as the Incheon Elim Art Center, Yonsei University Church Music Concert, Torch Mission Center Organ Debut Concert, and the Korean Church Music Association’s New Artist Concert. She has participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned organists including Ludger Lohmann, Olivier Latry, Arvid Gast, and Leo van Doeselaar, gaining a breadth of technical skill and stylistic insight.
Noh has garnered recognition both in Korea and internationally. In 2022, she won second prize at the International Schnitger Organ Competition in the Netherlands, and later that year, she made history as the first Korean to win first prize at the 6th International Buxtehude Organ Competition in Lübeck. In January 2023, she became the first Asian winner of the prestigious International Mendelssohn Competition (Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Wettbewerb), earning both the First Prize and the Contemporary Work Interpretation Award. In July 2023, she also received First Prize and the Gold Medal in Interpretation at the 32nd St Albans International Organ Competition.
She continues to perform actively across Europe and the United States, appearing in renowned venues such as the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Münster in Freiberg, and St. Bavokerk in Haarlem. She has performed with orchestras at the world-famous Gewandhaus in Leipzig and has also appeared as a guest performer with the Essen Philharmonic.
In 2025, Sunkyung Noh will release her debut solo album and is scheduled to perform across Europe and the United States, including a concert at King's College in Oxford, UK.