Following his win at last year’s International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, pianist Cho Seong-jin has signed on with Deutsche Grammophon, the world’s most prestigious classical music record label, according to an announcement by Solea Management Sunday.

Cho, who is the first Korean to win first place in the competition, has now joined the ranks of internationally renowned classical pianists including Lang Lang, Yundi and Yuja Wang. 

Deutsche Grammophon was behind the release of the live album of the pianist’s Chopin prize-winning performance, which was released in Korea Nov. 6. The album set multiple local records, selling all 50,000 copies produced in less than a week and prompting the production of another batch of 50,000 copies.

Cho and his fellow Chopin competitors are slated to hold a winners’ gala concert at Seoul Arts Center on Feb. 2.

As one of the year’s most anticipated classical music events, tickets to the upcoming concert sold out immediately upon release and the strong demand for seats prompted an additional matinee concert on the same day, once again selling out the entire theater.  

Alongside Cho, the concert will feature performances by prize winners Charles Richard-Hamelin, Kate Liu, Eric Lu, Yike (Tony) Yang and Dmitry Shishkin.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)