MINWOO HONG studied piano at Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School as a scholarship student for his academic and performance achievements. He completed courses at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts and the Korean Arts Center Music Academy for the Gifted, and has participated in master classes with Ilya Rashkovskiy, Haesun Paik, Soojung Shin, and Minsoo Sohn.
Minwoo has gained extensive performance experience in Korea and abroad. He was selected as a semifinalist in the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Competition, won First Prize at the Osaka International Music Competition in Japan, and received top prizes in major competitions in Korea including the Dong-A Junior Music Competition and the Steinway Youth Piano Competition.
Recently, Minwoo presented solo recital in Seoul as part of The House Concert 24-Hours Project. He has performed at major concert venues in South Korea such as the Kumho Art Hall, Seoul Arts Center Doam Hall, and Youngsan Art Hall, among others. At the age of 14, he had his solo recital debut at the Kumho Art Hall as a part of the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series and performed his second solo recital in 2023. He has also been invited to participate in many concerts every year such as the Osaka IMC Grand Final Gala Concert, the Young Musicians Festival, and the Steinway Competition Winners Concert. In 2024, he had his concerto debut with Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra at Prince Mahidol Hall in Thailand. Minwoo was also invited to interviews and performances for national channels such as EBS Classic FM and KBS documentary program in Korea.
His performances in Korea have been recognized as highly musical and distinctive. Minwoo expressed that he is truly grateful for the opportunity to participate in this competition, which he believes will allow him to grow further as a musician and bring his own musical voice to the audience.