Billy Joel’s arranger with the orchestra at Bellver castle

Last summer, Korean-British pianist Hyung-ki Joo performed Big Nightmare Music at Palma’s Bellver Castle.

This was with his classical music comedy partner, violinist Aleksey Igudesman. He is returning to the castle, this time as the piano soloist with the Balearic Symphony Orchestra for a concert that will include Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major.

Born in England to South Korean parents, Joo studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and was chosen by Menuhin to perform as the soloist for his eightieth birthday concert at the Barbican.

A longtime friend of American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, Joo arranged and performed pieces for Joel’s 2001 album Fantasies & Delusions, which went on to spend eighteen weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart.