HankyeolYoon

Press

• Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia

  Galicia

  Feb 2026

  • From Schumann's Manfred Overture, it was clear that Yoon is capable of organising the orchestral discourse: each line sounds well differentiated and defined, balanced and without sensationalism, in a reading in which the violins proved to be one of the OSG's strongest sections. In Brahms' Fourth, Hankyeol Yoon skilfully drew out the different layers, with an inspired OSG and resplendent sonority. The strings stood out in the Allegro ma non troppo, as did the intelligent progressive construction of the Andante moderato (with its marked lyrical spirit and enviable cantabile in the woodwinds and strings) and the pulse of the Allegro giocoso. Always orderly, Yoon did not overdo the final Allegro energico e passionato, bringing it to a successful conclusion with a balanced reading, clear lines and sustained tension. An evening with a conductor who clearly has a bright future. When he becomes an established name in orchestral conducting (everything points to this), we will remember that he visited us in 2026 and made the OSG sound as good as it does on its best nights.

    • La Voz de Galicia
    • 07 February 2026

  • This critic particularly liked, after a very correct staging of the Allegro non troppo, the search for depth in the Andante moderato, with a magnificent second half, the wonderfully balanced approach between energy and lyricism in the Allegro giocoso, and the way the last movement was approached and resolved with that Passacaglia, a fine example of Brahmsian grandeur that ended as it should. The trombones were superb in their entrance and then in the chorale, as were the flute, oboe, clarinet, and horns throughout. Loud ovations from the audience and recognition from the orchestra itself rewarded Yoon, who has more than earned his return. …from the very first bar of Schumann's "Manfred" Overture , which opened the program, he presented his credentials with a very clear vision through a fiery interpretation of a work that is pure passion, like the character it portrays and the author of its literary inspiration.

    • Scherzo
    • 08 February 2026

• Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

  Montréal

  Jan 2026

  • The Korean conductor Hankyeol Yoon wasn't a replacement; he was a revelation…the orchestra hadn't even uttered a sound before we knew he was a born conductor, simply by the way he signaled the first phrase of Romeo and Juliet with his hands: clarinets and bassoons, soft piano. The hand, the gesture, that is the sound. And that is what we heard. It will be exactly the same for the final chord of the work, magnificently powerful, yet remarkably rounded, without excess or vulgarity. The audience greatly benefited from Yoon's ability to conduct (from memory) one of his favorite works. He did so with precision, attention to detail, and a ferocious commitment.

    • Le Devoir
    • 23 January 2026

  • Hankyeol Yoon knows how to tame an orchestra. From the very beginning of Romeo and Juliet, you can feel him in complete control of his wind instruments, sculpting each phrase, carefully balancing each chord, in a discourse that truly tells a story, going beyond mere embellishment for aesthetic purposes. Yoon […] made the OSM strings sing like never before, which didn't prevent him from whipping up the "allegro" passages.

    • La Presse
    • 21 January 2026

  • …Yoon delivered a (slightly adapted) programme that was both technically sound and interpretively expressive. Throughout, the music was judiciously balanced and sculpted to reveal interpretive insights. After intermission, Yoon led a solid reading of Rachmaninov's Third Symphony… Yoon's consistent attention to detail resulted in an insightful and pleasing performance.

    • Bachtrack
    • 22 January 2026

• ORF Vienna Symphony Radio Orchestra Debut

  Salzburg Festival

  Aug 2024

  • South Korean conductor and composer... programmed the world premiere of his “Grium (Longing),” as well as Bruch’s First Violin Concerto (with Maria Dueñas, another brilliant young artist) and Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Symphony. “Grium” unfolds like a musical scrapbook of Yoon’s memories from Seoul and Europe, of his travels as he was educated and came of age. Its harmonic language may be generically modern, but the piece is skillfully crafted, with an intuitive sense for orchestral writing and subtle nods that avoided being cheaply overt. (The clearest reference, to the chime of Big Ben, got a chuckle of recognition that belied how ambivalently and intelligently it was being used.) A piece so personal could, like the Bruch and Tchaikovsky, easily sink into sentimentality; Yoon, though, kept it all moving with unwavering vitality.

    • New York Times
    • 20 August 2024

  • In 'Grium' Hankyeol Yoon made the most of all the instrumental sounds and made them shine with effervescence - an intense stirring orchestral piece.

    • Salzburger Nachrichten
    • 12 August 2024

  • Hankyeon Yoon shaped the adagio and allegro of this first movement [Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6] with fervour, even intensity, extending the pain of an unhappy man between curse and bliss throughout the entire movement. With sweeping arm movements, he reflected the rebellion of a hero, setting a quiet melancholy until the movement faded away in resignation. Yoon's evocative emotional gestures were excellently followed by the excellent orchestra. This brilliant young talent is one to keep an eye on!

    • Bachtrack - 11 August 2024
    • 11 August 2024

  • Dueñas gently allowed the prelude to blossom, which Hankyeol Yoon matched with accentuated drama in the full sound of the orchestra, before both gave in to the extended vocal lyricism of the Adagio. Yoon let the musicians play to their heart's content, starting with the opening bassoon solo and the waltz, which leads to absurdity with its weightless 5/4 time signature. Then, in the lament that ends everything, he allowed a correspondingly internalized calm to resonate, conveying a farewell. A performance worthy of Karajan!

    • drehpunktkultur.at
    • 11 August 2024

  • In Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" the composers deepest despair and world-weariness, who died a few days after the premier, were palpable. All emotional climates were swept through, stirring large dynamic arcs of tension. Lyricism was savored and the music was played in a precise balanced manner.

    • Kurier
    • 11 August 2024

• Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Debut

  Florence, Italy

  Feb 2024

  • In the first part of the evening, the programme unfolded through an entirely Brahmsian repertoire, inaugurated with the 'Overture for an Academic Feast', rendered by Yoon particularly effectively in its more triumphalist tones; this was followed by two pieces with the additional contribution of the choir, the 'Lament op. 82' and the 'Song of Destiny op. 54'. While in the first piece, the conductor's ability to recreate the soberly solemn atmosphere emerged, in the second, Yoon outlined its meditative atmosphere with intensity, thanks to the excellent performance of the Maggio choir and an orchestra that was well shaped in terms of dynamics and timbre. There is no doubt, however, that Yoon's talents were fully manifested in Dvorak's Eighth Symphony, tackled by the young Korean conductor with passionate enthusiasm and, at the same time, with firm control of the orchestral masses; we recall, above all, the Adagio, splendidly designed in its expressive country stillness (the woodwinds were excellent here), interrupted by moments of greater dynamic force, and the Allegro finale, in which Dvorak's vitalistic spirit in Yoon's baton exploded in all its intensity, unleashing the enthusiasm of an audience (unfortunately not a large one) present in the Metha hall.

    • Pensalibero
    • 15 February 2024

  • Moving but appropriate gestures, he holds the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio firmly in place: the former responds to him with polish, fine solo sorties, enthusiasm; the latter with compactness and adhesion. Yoon is finally a conductor who knows how to make the music breathe, not throttle it, and shapes it with a flexibility of accents and dynamics that goes well with the generosity of the resulting sound. As for the results, the evening is a crescendo

    • Corriere Fiorentino
    • 13 February 2024

• Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award

  Salzburg, Austria

  Aug 2023

  • "Yoon Han-kyeol's conducting has charisma, is well-prepared and excellent in skill," said the jury at the main auditorium of the Mozarteum Foundation after Sunday's final round of the competition. "Watching him conduct, we could feel music was flowing out of his heart instead of looking like he was just pretending to conduct music."

    • Korea JoongAng Daily
    • 07 August 2023