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.

1991 | Catherine Cho, Violin

Performance Date: Oct. 5, 1991
Catherine Cho

Catherine Cho is recognized for her remarkable virtuosity, combining technical mastery of her instrument with an extraordinary and distinctive musicality. Praised by The New York Times for her “sublime tone”, she has appeared worldwide as soloist with many orchestras and chamber ensembles as well as in recital.

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1991 | Mia Sohn, Violin

Performance Date: Mar. 3, 1991
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1990 | Sangmin Park, Cello

Performance Date: Nov. 10, 1990
Sangmin Park

In May 1986, Sang min Park, at the age of 18, was selected as the youngest member of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s cello section. He is currently an associate Professor at the Korean National University of the Arts.

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1989 | Wonmi Kim, Piano

Performance Date: Sep. 23, 1989

Wonmi Kim has been an active chamber musician performing with musicians of the ‘Moscow Virtuosi’, Curtis String string players and many other world renowned ensembles. She has also performed on the following major concert stages outside Korea: Academy House (Philadelphia), Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), The RAI Auditoriums in Torino and Napoli in Italy, and Musis Sacrum (Holland). Her performances have been broadcast on CBS, NHK, DDR, Dutch Radio, KBS, and Chinese Radio among others.

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1988 | Chee-Yun, Violin

Performance Date: Oct. 29, 1988

Winner of the 1989 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the 1990 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chee-Yun performs regularly with the world’s foremost orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, and the Toronto, Houston, Seattle, Pittsburgh and National symphony orchestras. In August 2007, she was appointed Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Violin at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

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1987 | Sung-Won Yun, Wha-Jin Hong, and Yun-Jung Chang,, Piano Trio

Performance Date: Oct. 24, 1987

In 1987, Korean Concert Society presented a concert featuring three young performers from Seoul.

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1986 | Helen Kim, Cello

Performance Date: Oct. 4, 1986

Helen Kim earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the Juilliard School of Music and performed in venues included Carnegie Hall. Today she is a Certified Financial Counselor with over 20 years experience as a consultant in business development, career counseling and management for entrepreneurs, artists and professionals.

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1985 | Hyekyung Lee, Piano

Performance Date: Oct. 12, 1985

Today, Hyekyung Lee is recognized as one of Korea’s outstanding musicians with her wide concert repertoire from baroque to contemporary. In 1984 she received the ‘Critic’s Prize’ from the Korea Music Pen Club. In 1988 she was named “Musician of the Year” by Dong—a music magazine. In 1998 she received the “Korea Music Award” from the Korea Music Society. In 2004 she received the “Seoul Music Prize” from the Korea Music Critic Association. In 2005 she was in the jury of the Louisiana International Piano Competition, in 2006 she was a guest professor at the Music College in Saarbrücken, Germany. In 2009-11 she was the vice president of the Korea Piano Society.

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1984 | Sarah Kwak, Violin

Performance Date: Oct. 26, 1984
Sarah Kwak

Sarah Kwak is currently First Associate Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, where she has been member since 1988. Kwak, a 2008 McKnight Artist Fellowship winner, has been soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony and Curtis Chamber Orchestra, and she has toured internationally with the Casa Verde Trio, including a three-and-a-half-week tour of China

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1983 | Youngho Kim, Piano

Performance Date: Oct. 21, 1983

Youngho Kim is one of most active pianists in Korea as a soloist and as a chamber musician. In 2009 he appeared as a soloist with Sejong Soloists, the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra in New York, Busan Philaharmonic, Gwangju Symphony and other orchestras in Korea. In July of 2009 Youngho Kim performed with Dae Jeon Philharmonic Orchestra celebrating its 25th anniversary and played a solo recital in Cairo, Egypt. In 2010-11 seeason highlight performances will include Seoul Spring Festival, recitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan in China, Tel Aviv, Israel and Berlin, Germany.

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