Alex Kim, 15, is a sophomore at Mountain View High School in California. He currently studies piano with John McCarthy in the Pre-College program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As a soloist, Alex has won awards at numerous competitions, including the Charleston International Romantic Music Competition in 2023 and recently performed in a masterclass with pianist Shai Wosner. Alex greatly enjoys studying chamber music at the conservatory and loves making music with others. In the past, he has performed in a piano duo and a piano trio, and enjoys his current piano duo with Kou, which is instructed by Mihyun Kim.
Kou Shimizu, 15, is a sophomore at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, California. He studies piano with Hang Li and chamber music with Mihyun Kim at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre-College Division. An accomplished and dedicated musician, Kou has won several competitions and received recognition for his artistry and technical skills. In 2024, he performed as a soloist in a piano concerto with the Golden State Youth Orchestra. Within the same year, he was accepted into Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute to be further trained in solo and chamber music by its renowned faculty leading the Young Artists Pianists Program, and he also participated in a masterclass with concert pianist Conrad Tao.
Watch Alex Kim and Kou Shimizu perform Waltzes, Op. 39 by Johannes Brahms for the 2025 International Piano Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.