Iestyn Davies, Chee-Yun, and Donghoon Shin

11. 28 (Sat) 5:30 PM


Seosomun Shrine History Museum, Consolation Hall, Seoul

Sejong Soloists Chamber Music Series

Iestyn Davies, Chee-Yun, and Donghoon Shin

The program features the Asian premieres of two works by composer Donghoon Shin: Winter Sonata for violin and piano (2025) and Sonnets to Orpheus for countertenor and string quartet (2026). Co-commissioned by Sejong Soloists, the Istanbul Music Festival, Wigmore Hall, and Chamber Music Northwest, Sonnets to Orpheus was given its world premiere in 2026 by countertenor Iestyn Davies, who returns for the Asian premiere to perform with Sejong Soloists.

Sejong Soloists also brings its distinctive musical interpretation to Janáček’s Kreutzer Sonata and Beethoven’s Cavatina, completing a program that traces a romantic narrative and creates a musical link between the past and present.

L. Janáček

String Quartet No. 1 “The Kreutzer Sonata”

I. Adagio – con moto II. Con moto III. Con moto – Vivo – Andante IV. Con moto – (Adagio) – Più mosso

Donghoon Shin

Sonnets to Orpheus for Countertenor and String Quartet (Asian Premiere, co-commissioned by Sejong Soloists)

INTERMISSION

L.v. Beethoven

“Cavatina” from String Quartet in Bb Major No. 13, Op. 130

L. v. Beethoven

An die ferne Geliebte, Op. 98

I. Auf dem Hügel sitz’ ich, spähend II. Wo die Berge so blau III. Leichte Segler in den Höhen IV. Diese Wolken in den Höhen V. Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au VI. Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder

Donghoon Shin

Winter Sonata for Violin and Piano (Asian Premiere)

Donghoon Shin

Composer

Born in South Korea in 1983, Donghoon Shin studied composition at Seoul National University with Sukhi Kang and Uzong Choe. He moved to London in 2014, where he studied with Julian Anderson at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Sir George Benjamin at King’s College London.

Shin won the Grand Prix of the ANM-BBVA International Composition Competition in 2010, followed by the Goethe Award in 2013, presented by the Goethe-Institut and Tongyeong International Music Festival. His major honors include the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize (2016), the UK Critics’ Circle Music Award for Young Talent (2019), and the Claudio Abbado Prize (2022). In 2017–18, he served as Young Composer in Residence with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group through Sound and Music’s Embedded Scheme. In 2019, he was selected as a composer laureate for a three-year period by RicordiLab.

Shin’s music has been performed and commissioned by leading orchestras, ensembles, and festivals worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Spanish National Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra; Ensemble Intercontemporain, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and Ensemble Recherche; and Festival d’Automne à Paris and Tongyeong International Music Festival.

Iestyn Davies

Countertenor

Iestyn Davies is a British countertenor renowned for the beauty and technical dexterity of his voice and his thoughtful musicianship. He was awarded an MBE in the 2017 Queen’s New Year Honours for services to music. His honors include the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist of the Year Award (2010), Gramophone Recital Awards (2012 and 2014), and the Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent (Singer) (2013).
Recent highlights include two Bach recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival, Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Aldeburgh Festival, Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin with Julius Drake at Middle Temple Hall in London, Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and Farinelli and the King with Mark Rylance on Broadway.
Davies began his singing career as a chorister at St John’s College, Cambridge, under the direction of Dr. George Guest and later Christopher Robinson. After graduating from St John’s with a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he is now a Fellow.

Chee-Yun

Violin

An Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, violinist Chee-Yun has captivated audiences worldwide with her virtuosic performances and artistry. She has appeared with leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, and Seoul Philharmonic, collaborating with esteemed conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Jaap van Zweden, Manfred Honeck, and Myung-Whun Chung. Her discography features eight acclaimed albums, including Serenata Notturno (Decca/Korea, 2008), which achieved platinum status within six months. Career highlights include performing at the White House for President Clinton, appearing at the United Nations, and a guest role on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Chee-Yun has been a longstanding partner of Sejong Soloists, a highly acclaimed chamber orchestra hailed by CNN as “one of the top ensembles of today.” Together, Chee-Yun and Sejong launched The Sejong Soloists Chamber Music Series Hosted by Chee-Yun, further showcasing their artistic partnership and shared commitment to excellence.

Chee-Yun plays the 1669 Francesco Rugeri, continuing a remarkable journey from her first performance at age eight in Seoul to becoming one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation.

Jun Cho

Piano

Pianist Jun Cho is a multifaceted artist known for his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. A passionate collaborator, Cho frequently performs with esteemed musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Philippe Quint, Stefan Jackiw, Ray Chen, Clive Greensmith, Steven Banks, and Randall Goosby, among others.

Alongside his position as Assistant Professor of Piano at Syracuse University, Cho serves as Coordinator of the Keyboard Area, leading the piano program while overseeing its artistic and academic initiatives. He is also an artist-faculty member at the Perlman Music Program and serves as the studio pianist for violinist Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School. At Juilliard, he also assists piano faculty member Julian Martin. Previously, he served as a faculty member at the Heifetz Institute and taught in the Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Division at Rice University.

Sejong Soloists String Quartet