Soo-Yeon Park

Soo-Yeon Park

Artistic Director, Piano

Pianist Soo-Yeon Park enjoys a diverse career as a recitalist, collaborative pianist, chamber musician, and opera and vocal coach. She has collaborated with Long Beach Opera, Angels Vocal Art, Opera Pacific, Intimate Opera, USC Thornton Opera, Classical Singers Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra, California Conducting Institute, and Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra. She has also worked closely with renowned conductors such as Jorge Master, John DeMain, Daniel Lewis, Donald Thulean, and John Farrer, as well as members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra. In 2018, she received the Doug Davis Composition and Performance Award with her contemporary music ensemble.

Her music festival appearances include the London Piano Festival, Korean Chamber Orchestra Summer Music Festival, Algonquin International Music Festival in Canada, SongFest, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. She is also the founder and artistic director of the Bakersfield International Music Festival, a ten-day summer chamber music program for students studying strings and piano.

As a winner of the 2011 International Women’s Day Award in Arts & Entertainment for Kern County, California, Dr. Park actively serves her community as a clinician and adjudicator at festivals and competitions including Music Teachers’ Association of California, California Music Educators Association Solo & Ensemble Festivals, Southern California Junior Bach Festival, and Bakersfield Youth Symphony Orchestra.

A native Korean and prize winner of several national Korean piano competitions, Dr. Park received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Seoul National University and her Master of Music degree in Piano/Ensemble Arts from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. As a full scholarship recipient, she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts at the University of Southern California with additional studies in opera coaching, early music, and music education. She was also a recipient of the Gwendolyn and Adolph Koldofsky Memorial Endowed Scholarship for four consecutive years and was chosen as the outstanding graduate in the program.

Dr. Park has served as faculty and vocal coach at Antelope Valley College, Pasadena City College, California Institute of the Arts, and California State University, Northridge. She is currently a faculty member at California State University, Bakersfield, where she coordinates piano studies and directs the chamber music program and the opera program.

Julia Lawson Haney

Violin

Violinist Julia Lawson Haney earned degrees in violin performance from St. Olaf College in Minnesota and Indiana University-Bloomington. Her principal teachers include Mimi Zweig, Sylvia Rosenberg, Charles Gray and Doris Preucil. Julia has enjoyed positions with the New Haven Symphony, Opera Theater of Connecticut, the Minnesota Opera, the Des Moines Symphony and the Des Moines Metro Opera. She also held teaching positions at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT, and was the Cox-Snow Professor of Violin at Central College in Pella, IA. Julia joined the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra in 2006, was promoted to Assistant Concertmaster in 2011, and was appointed Concertmaster in 2013. She is a faculty member at California State University-Bakersfield, a private teacher, and a chamber musician.

Julia Haney
Soohyun Cho

Soohyun Cho

Piano

Soohyun Cho, born in Seoul, Korea, started playing the piano at the age of five. She studied at the Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Seoul National University and her Master of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Minnesota. She acquired her Artist Diploma from Meadows School of the Arts at the Southern Methodist University. As a recitalist with solid technique and one of the leading collaborative pianists in Korea, she has performed extensively throughout Seoul and Gyeongnam Province. She has consistently held piano recitals at Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center, Kumho Art Hall and 315 Art Center. She has appeared as soloist with the Changwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Masan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tianjin Symphony Orchestra and many other orchestras in Korea. As the member of the Koreana Chamber Music Society, she has participated in numerous chamber music performances such as the Tongyeoung International Music Festival and the Changwon International Chamber Music Festival. Her principal teachers include Menahem Pressler, Joaquin Achucarro, Yonghi Moon and Hyungjoon Chang. She has been a Professor of Music Education at Kyungnam University in Korea since 2008.

Sung-Eun Cho

Violin

Sung-Eun Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, and began her violin studies when she was five years-old. After highly trained as a musician studying at Yewon arts middle school and Seoul arts high school, she graduated at the 2nd place from music department of Seoul National University and got the second prize in the Korea’s Musical Society Competition in 1992. After that, she performed as a soloist along with the Korea Chamber Orchestra, for which she also worked as a concertmaster.

After graduating, Sung moved to the USA and got her Masters degree from Manhattan School of Music in New York, subsequently continued to do professional studies at Mannes School of Music. Among her teachers are Min Kim, Peter Winograd, Kenneth Cooper, Schirley Givens, Felix Gralimir, and Hyo Kang.

Sung-Eun Cho was soloist at the Baroque Aria Ensemble and concertino at the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra. After winning the International Artists Competition, she was entitled to hold a recital at the Carnegie Hall. Year of 1997, she passed the international audition of Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo – Osesp - music director and principal conductor Thierry Fischer, which took place in NY and moved to São Paulo where she is working until now.

Over these years, Sung took part in a number of Osesp’s chamber music series, playing at the soloist of osesp series, Campos do Jordão music festival and participated on international tours such as Edinburgh International Festival,Salzburg festival, Lucerne Festival and BBC Proms. Strongly concentrated on chamber performance, she is a member of Osesp string quintet, Vesper piano trio and São Paulo chamber soloists. Currently playing on Jean Baptiste Vuillaume,1864

Sung-Eun Cho
Kowoon Yang

Kowoon Yang

Violin

Born in Seoul, Korea, Kowoon Yang is one of the leading violinists in Korea with outstanding talent and delicate musical technique. Her many prizes and awards include 1st prize in Max Rostal International Violin Competition in 1998, 4th prize in Lipizer International Violin Competition in 1998, 5th prize in the 38th Paganini International Violin Competition in 1991, Musafia prize in the 29th Tibor Varga International Competition in 1995, and the first and second prizes in numerous leading national competitions in Korea such as The Hankook, The Chosun, The Choong-Ang and others. For her contributions to the music community in Korea, she received Unpa Music Award in 1992. And she was also selected as one of the best musicians in Korea by KBS (Korea Broadcasting System) for her profound musical ability and achievements in the performing arts.

She has been presented as a soloist in Korea, Japan, Moscow, Ukraine, England, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czeck Republic, and China with major orchestras including Muenchener Symphoniker, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wien Mozart Orchestra, Wien Concert Ferrein Orchestra, Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Bei-jing Central Orchestra, Shang-hi Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, L’viv Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. She was invited as a soloist from Bregenz Festival in 2002, and also invited to play solo recital in Hotkkaido, Japan in “Culture Day” in 2005. She was invited from “Korea Orchestra Festival” in 1996 and 2002 to play with KBS Symphony and Suwon Philharmonic, and especially with her performance of Carl Nielsen’s Violin Concerto with KBS Symphony Orchestra, she received an astonishing reaction with a review of “the perfect performance with full of passion for the music” by KBS FM Radio Broadcast. Her recent London debut recital at Wigmore Hall.in 2008 was also very successful.

Ms. Yang is also involved in lots of chamber music activities. She won the Honors Quartet Audition at the New England Conservatory in 1997 and gave concerts around Boston as a cultural ambassador of New England Conservatory, including recital in Jordan Hall in Boston. Since 2001, she organized the Tonos Piano Trio, and has given many concerts around Korea.

Ms. Yang studied at Seoul National University under Min Kim, and Nam-Yun Kim, and received a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music under the guidance of James Buswell. After finishing one year of Advanced Study Program at the University of Southern California with Robert Lipsett, she studied privately with Felix Andrievsky in London. In 2001, she graduated “Meisterklasse” course in Hochschule für Musik in München under Gottfried Schneider. She is now playing concerts around the world as well as teaching at Kyunghee University in Korea.

Daniel S. Lee

Violin (Week 2)

Award-winning violinist Daniel S. Lee enjoys a varied career as a soloist, leader, collaborator, and educator. Praised for his “ravishing vehemence” and “soulful performance” (New York Times), he has performed as a soloist and guest concertmaster with Early Music New York, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the New York Baroque Incorporated, Quodlibet Ensemble, the Trinity (Wall St.) Baroque Orchestra, and the Yale Schola Cantorum, among others. As the core violinist of the Sebastians, the critically-acclaimed period ensemble that he founded and co-directs, he won the Audience Prize at the 2012 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, and was a finalist of the 2011 York Early Music International Competition. With the Sebastians in collaboration with the TENET Vocal Artists, he led—jointly with keyboardist Jeffrey Grossman—conductor-less performances of J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and St. John Passion and Handel’s Messiah. He has also appeared on the stages of the 4x4 Baroque Music Festival, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, NYS Baroque, Pegasus Early Music, and York Early Music Festival.

A violino piccolo specialist, he has performed as a soloist in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and Cantata 140, and has given the modern-day premiere of his own transcription of Johann Pfeiffer’s concerto. His latest musical interest includes the repertoire and performance practice of the violoncello da spalla, performing Bach’s six cellos suites on da spalla.

A graduate of the Juilliard School (B.M.), Yale School of Music (M.M. and Art.Dip.), and University of Connecticut (D.M.A), he studied early violins with Robert Mealy and Petra Müllejans and the modern violin with Patinka Kopec, Stephen Clapp, Ani Kavafian, and Theodore Arm. As a modern violinist, he made his Carnegie Hall debut at age sixteen performing alongside Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He has held teaching positions at Connecticut College, the University of Bridgeport, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Purchase College, SUNY, and has given lectures and masterclasses at Connecticut College, the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Purchase College (SUNY), and the University of Kansas. He currently teaches early music and chamber music at the Yale School of Music. www.danielslee.com

Daniel S. Lee
Kyung Eun Choi

Kyung Eun Choi

Cello (Week 1)

Praised for her delicate, expressive and energetic virtuosity, Korean cellist Dr. Kyung Eun Choi enjoys an international career as a concert and pedagogue. She received her bachelor degree in Seoul National Univ, master’s degrees at the Royal Northern College of Music in UK with Distinction, and her Doctoral degree in USC with full scholarship under world-renowned cellist Ralph Kirshbaum.

Dr. Choi has enjoyed great success in prestigious national competitions including Dong-a, Joong-ang, Ihwa-Kyunghyang newspaper’s competitions and international competitions including the Julio Cardona (Portugal), the Aldo Parisot (Brazil), the RNCM concerto Competition (Manchester), Beverly National Competition (US) and received the Gold medal at Japan’s Kirishima International Music Competition. Dr. Choi received Unpa award given to honorable Korean artist by legendary conductor Won-Sik Lim foundation.

She has been invited to teach and perform in many renowned cello festivals such as Adelaide, Piatigorsky, Manchester, and Kronberg International Cello Festivals. She also has been invited to perform various music festival including Prussia Cove, Tivor Vaga, Recontres Franco American Summer music Festival, Seoul International Music Festival, Vivace Music Festival, PLZ Festival and more.

As a soloist, Choi has performed in many major concert halls with renowned orchestras in Europe and Asia including Seoul Art Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Suntory Hall, Miyazaki Prefectural Arts Center, Wigmore Hall, Elder Hall, and Bridgewater Hall with leading conductors including Yan Pascal Tortelier, Pinchas Zukerman, Mischa Damev, Eva Strusinka, Won-Sik Lim and more. She was a faculty member of El Camino College, now she is a faculty member of Seoul National University.

Jenny Hyunseung Oh

Cello (Week 2)

Jenny Hyunseung Oh, a cellist, has cemented her reputation as a soloist within the classical music realm. With a profound passion for the cello, Jenny has dedicated her life to refining her craft and captivating audiences with her talent. Her musical journey began at a young age, and she has since honed her skills through rigorous training and numerous performances. She received her bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University and earned her master’s degree from Peabody Conservatory. She also received her Graduate Certificate in Music Performance at the University of Southern California.

She has appeared as a soloist with Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea and North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra in Hungary. She also has performed as a chamber musician in numerous concerts throughout the United States, Korea, Germany, and France. Her performances are characterized by a captivating blend of technical mastery, emotional depth, and an innate ability to connect with her listeners. She has been a passionate member of Charis Christian Chamber and W Trio of USC alumni. Jenny's dedication and commitment to music have earned her recognition and admiration from both peers and audiences alike. She was a faculty member at Kwang-ju University in Korea. She has also taught at Concordia University's Summer Chamber Music Camp and Junior Chamber Music in Orange County. Since 2017, she has taught as an adjunct professor at Concordia University.

Kelvin Diaz Inoa
Sehee Lee

Sehee Lee

Piano (Master Class)

Pianist Sehee Lee's illustrious career spans the globe, highlighting her mastery in collaborative piano, chamber music, and solo performances. Currently, she holds the position of Assistant Professor of Practice in Piano and Collaborative Piano at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, renowned for her unwavering commitment to the piano. Her musical journey has graced stages across the United States, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, and her native Korea, where she passionately delivers more than fifty annual recitals, often in collaboration with vocalists and instrumentalists. Notably, she has also demonstrated her soloist prowess by performing alongside the Kingsville Orchestra.

In addition to her academic role at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Dr. Lee has shared her expertise as a collaborative artist in residence at prestigious summer festivals, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano, the New England Music Camp, the Vianden Music Festival, and the Killington Music Festival. Furthermore, she contributes her musical talents as an organist at the Church of the Epiphany in Kingsville, Texas.

Dr. Lee's educational journey comprises obtaining her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Piano Performance from Kyunghee University in Seoul, Korea. Her pursuit of excellence continued at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Anita Pontremoli, where she earned an Artist Diploma and a Master's Degree in Collaborative Piano. During her tenure at CIM, Dr. Lee earned several accolades, including the prestigious Rosa Lobe Memorial Award in Accompanying, a testament to her exceptional artistic accomplishments. She further enriched her knowledge by completing her doctoral degree in Collaborative Piano at Arizona State University, mentored by Andrew Campbell, with the support of a full scholarship.

Furthermore, Dr. Lee's dedication to teaching and collaborative piano has garnered recognition through several prestigious awards. In 2021, she was honored with the Audience Favorite Collaborative Pianist award in the CyberCollab Competition. In 2020, her exceptional teaching abilities were acknowledged with the Teaching Award from the Center for Teaching Effectiveness, as well as the Dean's Award for Outstanding Teaching for the College of Arts & Sciences at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.