Music, ambition, friendship and rivalry come together in tvN’s new Korean drama Four Hands, Two Sonatas. The series follows two exceptionally talented young pianists whose lives become intertwined after they meet at an elite arts high school. What begins as a meeting between musical prodigies gradually develops into a complicated relationship shaped by competition, friendship, love and personal growth.
The drama stars Song Kang as Kang Bi-o, Lee Jun-young as Choi Jeong-yo, and Jang Gyu-ri as Hong Jae-in. Kang Bi-o is a disciplined piano prodigy who has spent years pursuing perfection, while Choi Jeong-yo is a naturally gifted pianist whose difficult childhood caused him to turn away from his talent. Hong Jae-in, a talented viola major, becomes an important part of their relationship.
Directed by Park Hyun-suk and written by Shin Yi-won, Four Hands, Two Sonatas uses music as the foundation for a coming-of-age story that follows its characters from their teenage years into adulthood. The title itself refers to the piano technique in which two performers play one piano together, making it an appropriate symbol for the relationship between the two central characters.
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But where did the production actually shoot the series? While a complete official list of every location has not been publicly released, several filming details have now emerged, including a confirmed location in Daegu, as well as evidence of overseas location shooting.
Four Hands, Two Sonatas Release Date
Four Hands, Two Sonatas is scheduled to premiere in South Korea on August 29, 2026, at 9:10 p.m. KST on tvN. The drama is planned as a 12-episode series, airing on Saturday and Sunday evenings. Netflix is also handling its global release.
Netflix has confirmed that the series will make its global debut on August 29. The drama is set inside an elite arts high school and follows the two pianists as their relationship develops over a period of approximately ten years.
The main cast includes:
- Song Kang — Kang Bi-o
- Lee Jun-young — Choi Jeong-yo
- Jang Gyu-ri — Hong Jae-in
- Yoon Se-ah — Kang Ji-hye
- Jung Jin-young — Kang Seung-woon
- Kim Joo-hun — Do Hyeon-su
- Seo Jae-hee — Yun Seon-ju
Where Was Four Hands, Two Sonatas Filmed?
The available location information indicates that Four Hands, Two Sonatas was filmed in South Korea and overseas.
The most specifically identified domestic location is Keimyung University Daemyeong Campus in Daegu. In addition, Song Kang has directly discussed the production’s overseas location filming, describing those shoots as particularly memorable because of the beautiful and unfamiliar scenery.
However, the exact overseas country or countries have not been clearly identified in the major production announcements currently available. Therefore, it would be misleading to assign a specific European or other international location without stronger evidence.
Keimyung University Daemyeong Campus, Daegu
The Most Clearly Identified Korean Filming Location
One of the filming locations associated with Four Hands, Two Sonatas is Keimyung University Daemyeong Campus in Daegu. The campus is located in Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu, and location information published in August 2026 identifies it as a filming location for the drama. The location listing specifically identifies Keimyung University Daemyeong Campus as the known shooting site.
The campus is an especially logical choice for Four Hands, Two Sonatas because the drama is centered around students at an elite arts school.
Although the fictional story takes place at Korea Arts High School, the production does not necessarily need to use an actual institution with that exact name. A university campus can easily be transformed into the fictional school through production design, costumes, signage, cinematography and editing.
The architecture of a university also provides the production with a variety of spaces, including academic buildings, outdoor walkways and areas suitable for scenes involving students.
This location helps explain why the school environment shown in the drama feels more substantial than a simple studio set.
Korea Arts High School
One important distinction needs to be made between the fictional location and the real filming location.
In the story, Kang Bi-o and Choi Jeong-yo meet at Korea Arts High School, an elite institution filled with exceptionally talented young musicians. The drama’s promotional material repeatedly identifies the school as the central setting for the characters’ teenage years.
However, Korea Arts High School is primarily the fictional school setting of the drama. It should not automatically be treated as one specific real-world filming location. The production appears to have used real locations such as Keimyung University’s Daemyeong Campus to create the visual world of the fictional school.
This is a common technique in Korean television production. A real university can provide convincing classrooms, corridors, practice rooms and outdoor areas while the fictional school name and identity are created through the production.
Music Rooms and Practice Spaces
Music rooms are naturally among the most important environments in Four Hands, Two Sonatas.
A teaser released ahead of the premiere specifically features footage recorded inside the music room at Korea Arts High School. The footage shows Kang Bi-o, Choi Jeong-yo and Hong Jae-in during their school days, including scenes of the characters playing piano and spending time together.
The music-room setting is essential to the story because the piano isn’t simply a background prop. It is effectively one of the main storytelling devices.
The relationship between the two male leads is repeatedly expressed through their music. Their competition takes place through performances, practice and musical ability, while their eventual connection is symbolized by the idea of two people sharing one piano.
It is important, however, not to claim that every music-room scene was filmed at Keimyung University. The available reports establish the fictional school setting and identify Daemyeong Campus as a filming location, but they do not provide a complete scene-by-scene breakdown.
Overseas Filming Locations
The Production Also Traveled Abroad
One of the most intriguing discoveries about the filming of Four Hands, Two Sonatas is that the cast filmed scenes overseas.
Song Kang specifically mentioned the overseas location shoots while discussing his experience making the drama. He said that although every scene with Lee Jun-young and Jang Gyu-ri was memorable, the overseas location filming particularly stood out because of the beautiful and unfamiliar scenery.
That comment is important because it confirms that the production did not take place entirely in Korea.
However, the exact country or city used for these overseas scenes has not been reliably identified in the publicly available production reports. That means location articles claiming a specific foreign city should be treated carefully unless they provide photographic, production or official evidence.
The overseas scenes could be particularly important once the story moves beyond the characters’ teenage years. The drama follows Kang Bi-o, Choi Jeong-yo and Hong Jae-in from approximately age 17 to age 27, so the visual world naturally expands as the characters mature and develop professional musical careers.
A Beautiful Bridge Featured During Overseas Filming
Director Park Hyun-suk has provided another clue about the overseas production.
During a production presentation, the director recalled filming Song Kang and Jang Gyu-ri together overseas and specifically mentioned a scene in which the two characters crossed a beautiful bridge while talking. He explained that the scenery was so attractive that he wanted to film more of the actors there.
This detail suggests that the overseas locations were not simply used as generic background scenery. Instead, the production deliberately incorporated the surrounding environment into character scenes. The bridge sequence also appears to be one of the more visually memorable location shoots because the director described the scenery enthusiastically. At present, though, there is insufficient verified information to identify that bridge by name.
The Overseas Scenery and the Drama’s Visual Style
The international locations appear to serve an important purpose in the show’s visual storytelling.
The Korean portions of the story are strongly associated with school, practice rooms and competitive musical environments. Those locations reflect the characters’ structured teenage lives. The overseas scenes, by contrast, can visually communicate freedom, maturity and a world beyond the pressure of their school.
This distinction becomes particularly useful because Four Hands, Two Sonatas isn’t limited to a single period. The story follows its central characters across a ten-year period, beginning with their teenage years and continuing into adulthood. Promotional stills show the characters at around 27, a decade after their first meeting. Therefore, changes in architecture and scenery can help communicate the passage of time without requiring the dialogue to explain everything.
Why Daegu Was a Good Choice for Filming
Using Keimyung University Daemyeong Campus gives the production a visually convincing academic environment while also providing enough variety for a television drama.
The campus can represent a prestigious arts institution without requiring the production to construct an entire school set. Daegu also offers a different visual atmosphere from the dense urban imagery frequently associated with Seoul. For a drama focused on classical music and youth, a campus environment can provide a more timeless quality.
The production can then contrast these domestic school scenes with the international locations mentioned by Song Kang.
When Was the Series Filmed?
The exact full production schedule has not been publicly detailed in the same way as some larger Korean dramas. However, the cast’s recent interviews confirm that filming had been completed before the August 2026 promotional campaign and production presentation.
Lee Jun-young’s schedule is particularly relevant. He described Four Hands, Two Sonatas as his final project before his military enlistment and enlisted in July 2026. The production presentation was pre-recorded because of his enlistment schedule, while the drama itself was prepared for its August premiere.
This also explains why many of the cast interviews and behind-the-scenes materials were released shortly before the premiere.
What Happened After Filming?
After production wrapped, the drama entered the final stages of editing, sound work, music preparation and promotional production.
Music was obviously a particularly important part of the post-production process. Unlike a conventional romance drama, Four Hands, Two Sonatas depends heavily on piano performance and musical competition. Song Kang and Lee Jun-young also had to prepare extensively for their roles as pianists.
Song Kang previously explained that his character practices for long periods and that the piano performances are central to understanding Kang Bi-o’s personality. Lee Jun-young also discussed listening to classical music and studying the musical structure for his role.
The finished series is scheduled to premiere on August 29, 2026, giving viewers the opportunity to see how the Korean campus locations and overseas scenery were incorporated into the decade-spanning story. Four Hands, Two Sonatas combines a fictional Korean arts high school with real-world filming environments and international location work.
The best-documented Korean filming location currently identified is Keimyung University Daemyeong Campus in Daegu, which provides a convincing backdrop for the drama’s school environment. The production also filmed overseas, something confirmed directly by Song Kang and director Park Hyun-suk. The cast remembered these scenes particularly fondly, with the director even recalling a beautiful bridge sequence involving Song Kang and Jang Gyu-ri.
At this stage, the exact overseas locations have not been reliably disclosed, so it is better to leave those locations unidentified than to present speculation as fact.
With its August 29, 2026 premiere, 12-episode format, international filming and a story spanning ten years, Four Hands, Two Sonatas promises to use its locations not merely as backgrounds but as part of the characters’ musical and emotional journey.
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