Program

Lee Kyosook
Galaxy for String Ensemble

Antonio Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
Violin Soloist: Ji Young Lim

Antonín Dvořák
Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22

Conductor: Seung-Han Choi

Seung-Han Choi graduated from the Composition Department of Yonsei University College of Music and its Graduate School of Education. He furthered his studies at the Berlin Church Music School and later earned his degree in conducting from the Berlin University of the Arts.

He previously served as Associate Conductor of the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted leading Korean orchestras including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and Korean Symphony Orchestra. Internationally, he has been invited to conduct the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo New City Symphony Orchestra, and the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy.

His repertoire spans a wide range of genres, including major operatic works such as La Traviata, Otello, Don Carlo, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly, as well as ballet productions including Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Nutcracker. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Yonsei University, where he continues to mentor young musicians.

Violin Soloist: Ji Young Lim

Violinist Ji Young Lim gained international recognition as the first Korean prizewinner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition (Violin).

She studied at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts, Yewon School, and Seoul Arts High School, and was admitted as a prodigy to the Korea National University of Arts, where she completed her undergraduate studies. She continued her training in Germany at the Kronberg Academy, earning both her Master’s degree and Professional Studies diploma, and later completed the Konzertexamen at the Cologne University of Music.

Her numerous accolades include the Kumho Musician of the Year Award (2015), the Proud Korean Award from the Korea Press Foundation, the Daewon Music Award (2016), and being named to Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 in 2021.

She has performed with major orchestras worldwide, including the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, and the Belgian National Orchestra. She has also collaborated with renowned artists such as András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Steven Isserlis, Tugan Sokhiev, and Christoph Eschenbach.

Her recordings of Mozart and Beethoven violin sonatas were released globally by Warner Classics in 2017. In Korea, she regularly performs at venues such as Kumho Art Hall and the Great Mountains International Music Festival, and appears at major festivals worldwide. She is currently a professor at Yonsei University.

Seoul Academy Ensemble

The Seoul Academy Ensemble presents a diverse repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary music, including classical, musical, and film music, always striving to connect with audiences.

As Korea’s first professional all-female string orchestra, the ensemble was founded in 1966 by the late Professor Tae-Hyun Park. Since then, it has maintained an active performance schedule, including regular concerts, special performances, regional tours, youth concerts, and international engagements, establishing itself as one of Korea’s leading chamber ensembles.

The ensemble has been widely acclaimed for its international performances, including invitations from the governments of Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Guangdong International Arts Festival in China, tours across San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles in the United States, the Haydn Festival in Austria, and multiple tours in Spain. In 2015, they were invited by the Shanghai Municipal Government to perform at major venues including the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.

Beyond the stage, the ensemble is committed to cultural outreach, presenting annual charity concerts at correctional facilities as part of its mission to expand access to classical music.

Founded on January 1966 by 29 professional female musicians—many of whom were members of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra—the ensemble debuted on June 29, 1966, at the National Theater in Myeong-dong under the name Seoul Women’s String Orchestra. At a time when chamber music was rare in Korea, the ensemble played a pioneering role in introducing and popularizing the genre nationwide.

Renamed the Seoul Academy Ensemble in 1984, the group began international touring in 1991. Over the decades, it has built a distinguished global presence through performances across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the ensemble is scheduled for an invited tour in Switzerland beginning on November 2, 2026.