This debut recital album is a tour de force of Sungbin Cho's charisma, virtuosic flair, and emotional warmth. Playing on a guitar made by his wife, luthier Yun Young Shin, Sungbin exploits the entire timbral range of the instrument with a natural ear for line and gesture that brings out the guitar's most vocal and expressive qualities. Particularly impressive are his two selections from Mertz’s Bardenklänge, op. 13, drawing out the Chopin-like textures in An die Entfernte and the Schubertian declamation of Unruhe without ever becoming overwrought. This is virtuosity, not as display, but as communication.

Active as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher, Sungbin Cho strives to be an advocate for the beauty and expressive power of the classical guitar. He holds a BMus from the Korean National University of Arts and a Masters and Advanced Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Michael Lewin. Sungbin won the 2021 London International Guitar Competition and the 2023 Blyth Watson Guitar Concerto Prize and has performed at venues such as Kings Place Hall, St. James’s Church Piccadilly, and Duke’s Hall in London. He continues to perform across the country, bringing the timeless beauty of classical guitar music to diverse audiences. Opening the Doors is his debut album.