Kennedy Center Debut Recitalists

Korean Concert Society's most prestigious program, the Kennedy Center Debut Recital series, has presented over two dozen outstanding artists since 1980, many of whom have gone on to play with major orchestras, make acclaimed recordings, or become in demand soloists. These artists are chosen in an annual jury process from a pool of global applicants. Typically, the program focuses on violinists, cellists, and pianists in annual rotation, although some other instruments have been chosen.

2000 | Ju-Young Baek, Violin

Performance Date: Sep. 23, 2000
Ju-Young Baek

Lauded by Krzysztof Penderecki as the “next Goddess of Violin,” violinist Ju-Young Baek made national headlines in Korea with her appointment as the youngest faculty member of the prestigious Seoul National University. In addition to her appointment, Ju-Young Baek enjoys an extensive international career. Many of world’s most important venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center in New York, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and Seoul Arts Center, have presented her in recitals as well as a soloist.

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2000 | 20th Anniversary Concert and Gala featuring Chee-Yun, Sung-Won Yang, Lucille Chung, and Byung-Soon Lee,

Performance Date: Mar. 18, 2000

In 2000, three former recitalists, Chee-Yun (1988, violin), Sung-Won Yang (1993, cello), Lucille Chung (1994, piano), and Byung-Soon Lee (1999, soprano) returned to the stage at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater for a special concert to celebrate the Korean Concert Society’s 20th anniversary.

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1999 | Byung-Soon Lee, Soprano

Performance Date: Oct. 2, 1999
Byung-Soon Lee

Byung-Soon Lee, soprano, a native of South Korea, received her Bachelor of Music degree at Yon-Sei University in Seoul, Korea. She won various competitions in Korea–the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Young Artist Competition, Dongah Music Competition, and many more. She received her Master of Music degree at Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland where she studied with Ruth Drucker and Mark Markham and completed the prestigious Artist Diploma program.

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1998 | International Sejong Soloists, Ensemble

Performance Date: Nov. 14, 1998

Praised as a “top notch conductor-less string orchestra” by the Washington Post, International Sejong Soloists (ISS) was founded in New York City in 1995 and met with immediate success. Since its inception ISS has given more than 200 concerts throughout the United States, Europe, and the Far East. Uniquely comprised of today’s leading young soloists, International Sejong Soloists is known for its cohesiveness, beautiful sound, and refreshing musical style in performing string orchestral works as well as solo and chamber repertoire.

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1997 | Daniel Lee, Cello

Performance Date: Sep. 20, 1997
Daniel Lee, Cello

Korean-American cellist Daniel Lee continues to gain recognition as one of his generation’s most significant artists. A native of Seattle, Lee started playing the cello at the age of six, studying with Richard Aaron. At age 11, he began his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and became the youngest protégé of the legendary Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. He has won critical acclaim as a soloist with orchestras from around the world including the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony, where he has served as Principal Cello since 2005.

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1996 | Ann Kim, Violin

Performance Date: Sep. 21, 1996
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1995 | Soovin Kim, Violin

Performance Date: Sep. 16, 1995
Soovin Kim, Violin

Soovin Kim won first prize at the Paganini International Competition when he was only 20 years old. He was later named the recipient of the Henryk Szeryng Career Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. He has built on the early successes of his prize-winning years to emerge as a mature artist equally gifted in concerto, recital, and chamber music repertoire.

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1994 | Lucille Chung, Piano

Performance Date: Sep. 10, 1994
Lucille Chung

Born in Montréal, Canadian pianist Lucille Chung has been acclaimed for her “stylish and refined performances” by Gramophone magazine, “combining vigor and suppleness with natural eloquence and elegance” (Le Soir). Chung has also been hailed as “a considerable artist, admirable for her bold choice of music” by the Sunday Times for her recordings of the complete piano works by György Ligeti on the Dynamic label.

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1993 | Sung-Won Yang, Cello

Performance Date: Sep. 25, 1993
Sun-Won Yang

An exclusive Universal Music Korea Artist, Sung-Won Yang has appeared all over the world as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He has given highly acclaimed solo recitals and performances in prestigious concert halls such as the Alice Tully Hall at New York’s Lincoln Center, the Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, the Opera City Hall in Tokyo, the Symphony Hall in Osaka, and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He is currently Professor of Cello at Yonsei University School of Music in Seoul, as well as the Artistic director of LG Chamber music school.

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1992 | Euterpe, Piano Trio

Performance Date: Nov. 14, 1992

This piano trio featured Kyung-Ah Kim (vl), Yun Jung Huh (vc), and Kyung Un Rhee (pf).

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