Sejong Soloists open new era in Goyang

The New York-based Sejong Soloists will hold their first concert as the resident company of the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center on July 21. / Courtesy of Goyang Cultural Foundation

• Published Jul 3, 2013 6:24 PM KST
• Updated Jul 3, 2013 6:24 PM KST

By Do Je-hae

In light of the growing number of world-renowned soloists and ensembles performing at Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center in recent years, the satellite city of Goyang in Gyeonggi Province has become a preferred destination for classical music fans.

Next to Seoul Arts Center, the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center has the best facilities for classical music concerts in the nation. The recent appointment of the elite chamber music group Sejong Soloists as its resident company is expected to advance the hall’s reputation as a premier venue.

The New York-based Sejong Soloists were selected as the first resident ensemble of the 1,449 seat-hall since it was established in 2006, according a press release from the Goyang Cultural Foundation.

"The residency gives the Sejong Soloists an opportunity for greater exposure to local audiences," Park Min-kying, an official with the Goyang Cultural Foundation said. "By engaging the Sejong Soloists, we can provide a world-level concert experience on a regular basis."

The residency plan has the ensemble performing at the hall on three different dates -- July 21, Oct. 18 and one more in December, with the exact date to be announced in the near future.

The highlight of the residency will be a collaboration with celebrated Russian violin virtuoso Vadim Repin, who will perform with the ensemble on July 21.

The 43-year-old is among the foremost male violinists of his generation, along with Maxim Venegrov and Gil Shaham. He has recorded most of the major violin concertos for French label Erato. In 2006, he became an exclusive artist for Deutsche Grammophon.

Repin rose to prominence when he became the youngest winner of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels, at age 17.

In Goyang, he will perform Felix Mendelssohn’s “Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D Minor” and Franz Waxman’s showpiece “Carmen Fantasy.” The d minor concerto is an interesting choice because it is not as often heard in concert halls as Mendelssohn’s hugely popular e minor concerto for violin.

A prodigy comparable to the young Mozart, Mendelssohn wrote the d minor concerto when he was only 13 years old. This piece is considered a key work in understanding the German composer’s early musical development.

The Sejong Soloists have performed on major stages around the world. The string orchestra, which performs without a conductor, is composed of distinguished young musicians from various countries, mostly trained at the Julliard School in New York.

Kang Hyo, the renowned violin teacher at the Juilliard School and Yale University, is the founding artistic director. His former students, including Sarah Chang and Gil Shaham, are some of the most sought-after violinists in the world. His biggest contribution to promoting classical music in Korea is the Great Mountains Music Festival & School, which he founded in 2004 as Korea’s first international chamber music festival in Gangwon Province.

The ensemble has performed 350 concerts on the world's major stages, recorded six albums and participated in musical activities for youth. Highlights of the Sejong Soloists include repeated performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in U.S.; Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall in London; Salle Gaveau in Paris and Suntory Hall in Japan. It was ensemble-in-residence at the Aspen Music Festival from 1996 to 2005.

The ensemble has repeatedly collaborated with internationally-acclaimed artists such as violinists Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Cho-Liang Lin; cellist Jian Wang and pianists Vladimir Feltsman and Garrick Ohlsson, among others.

Tickets for the concerts range from 20,000 won to 80,000 won. For details, visit https://www.artgy.or.kr.