The string JK Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Korea is due to perform at the Vietnam National Accademy of Music’s Grand Concert Hall in Hanoi on February 18 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. 

Under the baton of the orchestra’s music director and conductor Joseph Eui Myung Kim, 15 musicians will play pieces by Vivaldi, Bach, Francesco Geminiani, Pablo de Sarasate and Ottorino Respighi. 

The highlight of the concert will be a chaconne for the string orchestra and a piece for two violins. The chaconne is arranged by Youngbin Jung from Partita for Violin Solo. Spanish Dance will be performed by Yoo Min Lee and Eun Kyu Yoon. 

Lee earned her diploma from the McDuffie Centre for Strings at Mercer University in the US. She has performed at international festivals such as Aspen Music Festival, Rome Chamber Music Festival and Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. She is currently the first associate principal violinist in the Korean Symphony Orchestra. 

Yoon graduated as Doctor of Musical Art at Stony Brook State University of New York and won the Sorantin International Competition.

Founded in 2005, JK Chamber Orchestra is a leading string orchestra featuring a dozen outstanding musicians, many of whom are university professors. The orchestra is led by violinist Joseph Eui Myung Kim.

The orchestra is dedicated to popularising classical music in the RoK by performing in various venues.

"Our mission is to venture away from the archaic obstinacy of classical music’s ‘elitism’ and seek its popularity among the general public. In order to achieve our goal, we often select relatively well-known works and perform their arrangements to help our audience familiarise and feel more at ease with classical music," says the orchestra’s website.

Conductor Kim is one of the most active violinists and violin professors in the RoK. He studied with the legendary Oscar Shumsky at the Curtis Institute of Music and Juilliard School of Music. 

Since a young age, he has performed as a concertmaster and guest artist for the New Jersey Symphony, New Orleans Symphony, Korea’s KBS Symphony Orchestra and Japan’s Sapporo Symphony.

He was awarded Musician of the Year by the Musician’s Guild of Korea. He was also appointed as a Cultural Ambassador of Korea and received a Presidential Award for his achievements.

VNA