Biography: Established in 1953, the Seoul Arts High School (Seoul Yego) has been widely recognized as the foremost pre-professional school for young and specially gifted musicians, dancers, and visual artists in Korea, and has produced leading musicians and the finest performing artists for the last half century. The school is also renowned for its high quality of artistic and scholastic curriculum as well as the excellence of its faculties.

The Seoul Yego Youth Symphony Orchestra, which began its professional activities in 1972, has established itself as the official representative of the Seoul Arts High School. In addition to concerts in Korea, the Orchestra had numerous concerts throughout the world. In 1987, the orchestra won first prize for chamber music at the Aberdeen International Music Festival in Scotland, and was invited back to the Festival in 1994.

In 1992, the Orchestra performed for the opening concert at the Okayama Philharmonic Concert Hall in Japan. In January 1997, it performed in San Jose, California, and made their debut at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. The young artists have received an invitation to perform in New York Orchestra Festival, sponsored by World Project, to be held in the world famous Carnegie Hall in 2004. In 2006, they gave the 50th Annual Concert at the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul.

Biography: The Korean Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1965 in Seoul by cellist Bong-Cho Jeon, has established itself to be the leading chamber orchestra in the country. Since 1979, when Min Kim became its new director, the Korean Chamber Orchestra has been establishing a growing international reputation by embarking on numerous international tours to increasing critical and popular acclaim. It has given over 470 concerts in Korea, the U.S., Canada, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Austria, France, Finland, Estonia, Luxemburg, Czech, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Singapore. Its nine-city tour of the United States and Canada in 1995, arranged by Columbia Artists Management Inc. received outstanding reviews from such prestigious publications as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and the Toronto Star. The group’s seven-city tour of Europe in 1997 received similar praise from German newspapers such as the Badische Zeitung and the Mindelheimer Zeitung. It has performed with internationally renowned soloists such as Maxim Vengerov, Krzysztof Penderecki, Zakhar Bron, Arto Noras, Ralf Gothóni, Nobuko Imai, David Geringas, Heinz Hölliger, Salvatore Accardo, Marisa Robles, Felix Ayo, Jean-Pierre Wallez, Cyprien Katsaris, Kyung-Wha Chung, Young-Uck Kim, Young-Ok Shin, Kwang-Chul Youn. In addition, the group has released 14 CDs, encompassing a wide range of repertoire, which have established a new standard of excellence in the field of classical music.

In 1999, the KCO made its Salzburg debut in Austria and participated in the UNESCO Concert for Peace in Paris where it was officially designated as a UNESCO Chamber Orchestra for Peace. During the following year, the group successfully completed one-month tour of Poland-Croatia-Germany and performed in a special concert at the UN General Assembly Hall where it was designated as a UN Chamber Orchestra. In 2001, The KCO went on its European tour, as the first Korean artistic group, at Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie. The critics praised the ensemble as the first class orchestra with resilient tonal colors and precise ensemble work.

It finished successfully a performance in the famed Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen (2002) and European tour in Italy and Germany with a favorable criticism (2003). To celebrate its 40th Anniversary in 2005, it participated in Heidelberg Chamber Festival(Germany), Naantali Music Festival(Finland), Rheingau Festival(Germany). For the recent 5 years(2005-2010) KCO has performed to acclaim in international prominent festivals such as International Mozart Festival(Estonia), Beethoven Easter Festival(Poland), Rheingau Festival, Naantali Music Festival, Echternach Festival(Luxembourg), Max-Reger-Tage Festival, Markgräfler Festival,

Croatia Festival, and Ascoli Piceno Festival(Italy), etc. In 2010, KCO celebrated the 45th anniversary and the 100th concerts in abroad, and until 2013, KCO is engaged more concerts in Russia, China, United Kingdom, Brazil and Poland to name a few.

Biography: Since its inception in 1994, the New York-based Sejong Soloists has established itself to be the premier, string orchestra performing on major stages across four continents. Envisioned as a “cultural ambassador” by Artistic Director Hyo Kang, this unique ensemble brings together individually distinguished solo and chamber musicians hailing from eight different nations: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, in performances, documentaries, TV broadcasts, youth development activities, as well as philanthropic endeavors worldwide.

Renowned for its cohesiveness, beautiful sound, and refreshing musical style, highlights of Sejong include repeated performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center in the United States; Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall in London; Salle Gaveau in Paris, Suntory Hall in Japan, Seoul Arts Center in Korea and the National Arts Theatre in Taiwan among many others. Sejong was ensemble-in-residence at the Aspen Music Festival from 1996 to 2005 and performed at Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, International Cello Festival in Manchester, England, La Jolla SummerFest in California, and Taipei International Music Festival in Taiwan. Sejong was the host ensemble for the Great Mountains International Music Festival in South Korea from 2004 through 2010. Sejong has released six highly acclaimed albums and has been featured in several documentary films. Sejong is regularly broadcasted on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and has made special appearances on CNN programs hosted by Paula Zahn.

Sejong is highly committed to creating new repertoire and forging new collaborations across different disciplines – commissioned new works include pieces from composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Behzad Ranjbaran, Sukhi Kang, Eric Ewazen, Jay Greenberg, and Richard Danielpour, to name a few.

Sejong has collaborated with artists such as Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, Kyung Wha Chung, Vladimir Feltsman, Leon Fleisher, Lynn Harrell, Sharon Isbin, Joseph Kalichstein, Garrick Ohlsson, Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Jian Wang and the Juilliard String Quartet. While performance is the ensemble’s main priority, Sejong holds music education in the highest regard when considering its contribution to the arts community. Sejong regularly performs outreach concerts and conducts master classes for students of all ages and levels.

Concert Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 8pm; Isaac Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Program: Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, op.77; Soonjung Suh Yu Hyun; Rachmaninoff Symphony No2. E minor, op.27 (Conductor: Eunseong Park; Violin: Judy Kang)

Biography: The Korean Symphony Orchestra was founded in March 1985 as a private orchestra by its conductor Yun Taik Hong. About 90 concerts – regular concerts, Youth concerts, Opera- and Ballet-performances as well as local area concert-tours and other special concerts – were played annual. In 1987 Korean Symphony Orchestra signed an exclusive agreement with the National Theatre. Now the orchestra became partner of the National Opera, the National Ballet and the National Choir, and two years later it was approved as a corporation of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

In March 2001, when the Seoul Arts Centre at its 16th anniversary got a new status as a foundation the new company took the Korean Symphony Orchestra as its permanent orchestra.

Now the orchestra has about 80 members and is one of the “top three”orchestras in Seoul. The schedule is as pretentious as ambitious. Different Concerts alternate with Operas and Ballets and demand an extensive repertoire for every musician.In 1990 it performed the largest musical event ever held in Korea “The Grand Choir” with more than 5,000 chorists participating in chorus at Jamsil Gymnasium. It also realized more than 50 records and accompanied world famous singers as “Placido Domingo” in 1995, 2009 “José Carreras” in 1999 and 2005 and the “Three Great Tenors’ Concert in Korea” in 2001. “Dame Gwyneth Jones” in 2003. The Korean Symphony Orchestra has contributed to the development of classical music in Korea by its sphere activities.

Going through many difficulties over the years, it has proved that a private orchestra can reach highest level of quality and so give an example for other private orchestras. The orchestra achieved a remarkable standard not only under musical aspects but also with a view on administration and operation of a professional orchestra.