She studied at the Seoul National University where she received both her bachelor's and master's degrees in music.
[1] In 2011 she moved to Europe and completed the postgraduate course at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.
[3] In 2012, Hwang won second prize in the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany.
[3] In May 2014, Sumi Hwang won the first prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium.
[6][7] Later that year, she made her United States debut at the Phillips Collection.