Biography
Violinist Chee-Yun has performed as a concerto soloist and chamber musician at major venues throughout the United States and abroad, setting herself apart from many leading violinists through her sustained commitment to a wide range of contemporary repertoire.
Born Chee-Yun Kim in Seoul, South Korea, in 1970, she continues to use her given name in non-professional settings. With two older sisters already studying piano, she began violin lessons at age six. Prompted by her mother, she entered a competition and emerged victorious, an outcome that quickly led to regular performances across Korea by the time she turned eight. At thirteen she followed one of her sisters to New York’s Juilliard School, where her teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, and Felix Galimir. Although she initially felt daunted by limited English and the intense international competition, she persisted, achieving a decisive step forward in 1989 by winning the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. The victory opened doors to a Carnegie Hall recital debut and numerous subsequent engagements.
She has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson-Thomas on U.S. tours and with the NHK Symphony during engagements in Japan, in addition to performances with the Detroit, Toronto, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras and many other ensembles. In chamber settings she has worked closely with pianist Barry Douglas, presenting the American premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in 2016. Additional partners have included pianist Alessio Bax, with whom she has toured extensively, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Summer festivals have formed a significant part of her chamber schedule, encompassing appearances at Spoleto USA, Ravinia, and Aspen. Between 2007 and 2017 she served as artist-in-residence and professor of violin at Southern Methodist University in Dallas while also holding teaching positions at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Indiana University.
During the 2000s she released several recordings on the Denon label and, in 2003, recorded both of Penderecki’s violin concertos for Naxos with the Polish National Radio Orchestra (Katowice) under Antoni Wit. In 2020 she moved to the Albany label to document the Violin Concerto of Christopher Theofanidis.
Born Chee-Yun Kim in Seoul, South Korea, in 1970, she continues to use her given name in non-professional settings. With two older sisters already studying piano, she began violin lessons at age six. Prompted by her mother, she entered a competition and emerged victorious, an outcome that quickly led to regular performances across Korea by the time she turned eight. At thirteen she followed one of her sisters to New York’s Juilliard School, where her teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, and Felix Galimir. Although she initially felt daunted by limited English and the intense international competition, she persisted, achieving a decisive step forward in 1989 by winning the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. The victory opened doors to a Carnegie Hall recital debut and numerous subsequent engagements.
She has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson-Thomas on U.S. tours and with the NHK Symphony during engagements in Japan, in addition to performances with the Detroit, Toronto, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras and many other ensembles. In chamber settings she has worked closely with pianist Barry Douglas, presenting the American premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in 2016. Additional partners have included pianist Alessio Bax, with whom she has toured extensively, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Summer festivals have formed a significant part of her chamber schedule, encompassing appearances at Spoleto USA, Ravinia, and Aspen. Between 2007 and 2017 she served as artist-in-residence and professor of violin at Southern Methodist University in Dallas while also holding teaching positions at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Indiana University.
During the 2000s she released several recordings on the Denon label and, in 2003, recorded both of Penderecki’s violin concertos for Naxos with the Polish National Radio Orchestra (Katowice) under Antoni Wit. In 2020 she moved to the Albany label to document the Violin Concerto of Christopher Theofanidis.
Albums
Theofanidis: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra & Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra
2020
Chee-Yun's Sentimental Memories
2019
The Very Best of Chee Yun
2009
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole & Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 3
2009
Violin Essentials
2009
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64
2009