Sejong Here & Now Festival: Opening Concert
Internationally renowned New York-based chamber orchestra Sejong Soloists presents the first biennial Sejong Here & Now Festival, dedicated to commissioning and performing exciting new works for strings and soloists alongside carefully curated selections from the classical repertoire.
The inaugural festival—taking place on May 17 and 22, 2024, at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall—celebrates Sejong Soloists’ milestone 30th anniversary with two commissioned world premieres, a US premiere, and distinguished guest artists.
On May 17, Sejong Here & Now 2024 presents a world premiere by Augusta Read Thomas on the occasion of her 60th birthday alongside music by Bach and Tchaikovsky.
From its inception in 1994, Sejong Soloists has been dedicated to musical excellence, and many of its alumni have landed concertmaster and leading roles in orchestras around the world.
◆ Program
J. S. BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
AUGUSTA READ THOMAS Haemosu’s Celestial Chariot Ride (World Premiere)
TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings
◆ Performers
Sejong Soloists
Hannah von Wiehler, Conductor
Stephen Kim, Violin
Sooyun Kim and Yoobin Son, Flute
Steven Banks, Saxophone
◆ Sejong Soloists
Hailed by CNN as “one of the top ensembles of today,” Sejong Soloists is a first-class chamber orchestra renowned for its exceptional dynamic style with ranges of quartet-like precision to full orchestra resonance. Sejong Soloists has performed over 600 concerts in more than 120 cities throughout the world, and is highly praised for its innovative programming, documentaries, television broadcasts, and recordings. The ensemble has championed and commissioned music by distinguished living composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Richard Danielpour and Eric Ewazen—with whom Sejong has ongoing collaborations—as well as Osvaldo Golijov, Tan Dun and others.
Presented by Sejong Soloists in collaboration with Korean Cultural Center New York