About
A Life Steeped in Sound
Acknowledged for his "unique voice", 21-year-old August Baik has established a multifaceted identity as a performer, composer, and collaborator. Born in Seattle, he currently pursues his bachelor's degree at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stephen Drury. August is the recipient of the 2026 Leonard Bernstein Piano Fellows at the Tanglewood Music Festival.
August has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Virtuosi Bruneses Orchestra (Perugia, Italy), the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, the Bellevue Symphony, and the Tacoma Music Collective. His recent solo highlights feature appearances on the Boston Symphony Orchestra's prelude series, where he performed works by contemporary composers like Kevin Puts, Tania León, Carlos Simon, and Andrew Norman. His contemporary repertoire also includes performances of pieces by composers notably Reena Esmail and Peter Shin. He also performed for the Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 at the Goethe-Institut Boston, and was featured in the Marion Rubin Berman '31 Piano Honors Concert (2026 and 2024). A versatile artist, his additional performance credits include NEC Piano Department: Ives 150, Fauré and Scarlatti, and [nec]shivaree. August’s performances can also be heard on multiple recordings for NPR Music’s Live Sessions.
From renowned stages to community spaces, August is making his mark as a compelling chamber musician. An alumnus of the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Academy, his recent credits include the 2026–2027 Mariposa Concert Series, where he performed Tradition Transformed: Rachmaninoff, Britten & Baik alongside Takács Quartet violist Richard O’Neill. He has also collaborated with O'Neill, James Garlick, and other elite artists at Music on the Strait. Beyond his concert appearances, August is dedicated to community engagement. Alongside cellist Eric Schindler, they actively participates in the New England Conservatory’s Community Performances and Partnerships (CPP) program, sharing the joy of music with underserved neighborhoods.
A Fellow of From the Top, Baik’s recent achievements include reaching the quarterfinals of the Honens International Piano Competition, and receiving top honors at the NEC Piano Honors Competition, The Sherer International Violin and Piano Competition and the KING FM Young Artist Awards. August has attended numerous prestigious music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West. He has advanced his artistry in masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Emmanuel Ax, Jeremy Denk, Conor Hanick, Marc-André Hamelin, Dawn Upshaw, Gil Kalish, Jacob Greenberg and Jerome Lowenthal. He is also a Monika Meyers Clowes Memorial Award (Seattle Chamber Music Society)
August Baik is a Seattle-based composer who refined his self-taught skills in the Seattle Symphony's Young Composers Workshop under Angelique Poteat. His growing portfolio spans chamber and symphonic works highlighted by notable regional premieres and high profile artistic collaborations. ㅁ cycle had its world premiere in October 2026 as part of the Music Academy of the West’s Mariposa Concert Series, featuring a performance by Grammy Award-winning violist Richard O’Neill alongside Baik. d-이-alogues commissioned by the Seattle Symphony, featuring violist Mara Gearman, bassist Will Langlie Miletich, and flutist Jeffrey Barker made its successful world premiere in April 2025. Chuseok Overture (2023) a symphonic work received a second performance by the Seattle Symphony when it was featured in their 2023–2024 Celebrate Asia concert. Piano Concerto was commissioned and premiered by the Tacoma Music Collaborative, this piece featured Baik himself as the guest piano soloist.
Grateful for his first solo performance opportunity, he has made it a summer tradition since 2022 to return to the Fountainhead Gallery in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood to perform.
Classical musician August Baik splits his time between Boston and Seattle.
Fueled by a continuous drive to perform, collaborate, and innovate, he consistently challenges his artistic imagination and redefines his musical boundaries through a series of compelling projects.