[Herald Interview] Two Korean violinists named Ji-yoon on being concertmasters overseas

One of the most anticipated concerts at the annual festival Music in PyeongChang was the PyeongChang Dream Team concert. The PyeongChang Dream Team, consisting of emerging and established musicians from world-renowned orchestras, performed Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581 and Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115 on Thursday at the Alpensia Concert Hall and again at PyeongChang Woljeongsa Museum on Sunday as part of the festival's outreach program.

In addition to Principal Clarinet of the Paris Opera Orchestra, Kim Han, Boston Symphony Orchestra cellist Lee Jeong-hyoun and Principal Violist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Hung-Wei Huang, the quintet has two violinists who share the same first name -- Ji-yoon -- who have more in common than their name.

About seven years apart in age, the two violinists share a history of winning numerous prestigious awards and both chose to pursue their music education in Europe.

Park Ji-yoon, 38, won prizes at the Tibor Varga, Long-Thibaud and Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competitions in 2009. Lee, who turns 32 years old in August, is a laureate of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition and also the first prize winner of the Carl Nielsen Competition and David Oistrakh Competition.

Now, both Ji-yoons serve as the concertmasters of prominent orchestras in Europe.

Park is concertmaster of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, having become the orchestra's first Asian concertmaster in 2018.

Lee is the first foreign national and female concertmaster of the Staatskapelle Berlin, led by Daniel Barenboim from 1992 to 2023.

The concertmaster is the lead violinist of an orchestra, sitting in the first chair of the first violin section. They play a crucial role in leading the string section and often the entire orchestra, and work closely with the conductor to ensure cohesion within the orchestra.

Park and Lee, both of whom began playing the violin at the age of four, have reached their respective positions through different experiences, and their unique journeys offer valuable insights into the diverse paths to musical excellence.

Park went to France at age 15 and studied at the Paris Conservatoire and the Mozarteum University Salzburg. Park, fluent in French, served as concertmaster of the Pays de la Loire before joining the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra.

“My orchestra is based in Paris, which is an open place, and there were many female principles already. So I didn’t feel any particular challenges or obstacles because I’m a woman and Asian,” Park told The Korea Herald on Wednesday in the Alpensia Concert Hall in a joint interview with Lee.

In contrast, Lee said that joining a German orchestra meant the beginning of getting to know "real" German culture because when she went to study at the School of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin, there were more international students than German students.

"In the first week after joining the orchestra, I felt a sense of urgency because of my insufficient German and thought being able to speak the language fluently would be critical, going forward" Lee recalled. “After I joined the orchestra, I discovered a new world of German musicians and music. I feel very lucky to join the orchestra and be part of the tradition,” Lee said.

The orchestra, whose origins trace back to 1570, has a rich history and traditions. For instance, “We shake hands with everybody every day when gathering for a rehearsal. I thought this is how every orchestra worked,” Lee said.

Both Park and Lee might inspire other Korean musicians attempting to establish themselves overseas, and both said that they feel a sense of responsibility.

"I realized I was lucky to meet great teachers in my early 20s. For a violinist, I believe the years between 18 and 25 years old are conducive to becoming a professional musician and I want to be a good mentor for my students," Lee said. Lee is currently teaching at the School of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin.

Park said thinking ahead after the competitions might be beneficial for aspiring musicians.

"Like many other Korean students, I focused on international competitions, which helped me achieve good results in auditions. However, after joining the orchestra, I started thinking more about listening," Park said. "When practicing alone, I could only hear my own sound and didn't need to pay attention to others. But being part of an orchestra made me realize the importance of listening to others," she added. "Therefore, I believe it would be beneficial to emphasize the importance of listening even during practice. And try out various experiences, traveling a lot and visiting many different places."

Music in PyeongChang, an annual music festival held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, kicked off its 21st edition Wednesday under the theme of "Ludwig!"

The 11-day festival offers 20 concerts, 7 outreach concerts held in other regional venues and a variety of educational programs.