About
A Life Steeped in Sound
Acknowledged for his "unique voice", 20-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. A Fellow of From the Top, Baik’s recent achievements include reaching the quarterfinals of the Honens International Piano Competition, winning the NEC Piano Honors Competition, and receiving top honors at The Sherer International Violin and Piano Competition and the KING FM Young Artist Awards.
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.
August has attended numerous prestigious music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West, and is the recipient of the 2026 Leonard Bernstein Piano Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center and the 2025 Toby Donner Scholarship in Solo Piano at the Music Academy of the West. He has also advanced his artistry in masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Emmanuel Ax, Jeremy Denk, Conor Hanick, Marc-André Hamelin, Jacob Greenberg and Jerome Lowenthal. He is also a Monika Meyers Clowes Memorial Award (Seattle Chamber Music Society).
An avid chamber musician, August is an alumnus of the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Academy. Chamber performance highlight of 2026 is definitely performing alongside Takács Quartet violist Richard O’Neill in New York and Port Angeles, WA. Beyond the stage, August is an active participant in NEC’s Community Performances and Partnerships, bringing music to underserved neighborhoods.
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 includes chamber and symphonic works performed across Washington, highlighted by notable regional premieres and upcoming collaborations. d-이-alogues a chamber piece featured violist Mara Gearman, bassist Will Langlie Miletich and flutist Jeffrey Barker. The work was commissioned by the Seattle Symphony and had its successful world premiere in April 2025. The Seattle Symphony presented the second performance of Chuseok Overture (2023) featured in the 2023–2024 Celebrate Asia concert. The Tacoma Music Collaborative commissioned and premiered Piano Concerto in 2024, featuring August as the 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.
As a classical musician based in Boston and Seattle, August Baik is always looking for opportunities to perform and collaborate. He has worked on several noteworthy projects and continues to push himself by stretching his imagination and musical boundaries.