Cateen (Hayato Sumino) plays a prank on South Korean Piano Judges

I found a very interesting Youtube video and I wanted to share the video with you all.

In the video, a Japanese pianist Cateen (Hayato Sumino) pretends to be a Korean high schooler and plays a prank on Korean piano teachers.

Cateen (Hayato Sumino) is a well known Pianist / Youtuber, and his Youtube channel has more than a million subscribers. Also participated in the Chopin International Piano Competition in 2021.

• Mock Auditions for Piano students in South Korea
• Performance by Cateen vs South Korean Students
• Big Reveal
• YouTube Video with English Subtitles

Mock Auditions for Piano Students in South Korea

In the video, they say that Korean piano students often take mock auditions for college admissions.

Apparently, participants of those auditions play the piano behind the curtain in order to ensure fairness.

Cateen (Hayato Sumino) plays piano behind the curtain with other participants and surprises the judges / teachers.

Performance by Cateen vs South Korean Students

Three Korean students take the mock auditions first.

The judges listen to the performances and give some advice to the students.

Most of the student played Chopin’s etudes.

After the third participant, Cateen (Hayato Sumino) plays Chopin’s Scherzo No.1 Op.20, then plays Chopin’s Etude in A minor, Op.25 No.11 “Winter Wind”.

As soon as he plays the first note, the judges notice the difference from other participants.

Even I thought the difference between Cateen (Hayato Sumino) and other students was significant.

It almost feels like the audition turns into Cateen (Hayato Sumino)’s concert.

Big Reveal

At the end, the curtain was removed and judges realize the participant was actually Cateen (Hayato Sumino).

Cateen (Hayato Sumino) performs his original song “New Birth” inspired by a Chopin’s etude.

His performance was exquisite and judges give him a standing ovation as he deserves

YouTube Video with English Subtitles

This video is in Korean, but you can turn on the English subtitles.

The judges facial expressions when Cateen (Hayato Sumino) started to play behind the curtain are very funny.

It is also interesting to compare Cateen (Hayato Sumino)’s performance and others.

Please watch the video.