Contact
Maike Charlotte Fuchsmf@karstenwitt.com+49 30 214 594-220Kathrin Feldmann-Uhlkf@karstenwitt.com+49 30 214 594-241
General Management
Fanny Hensel, Ouvertüre C-Dur
Camille Saint-Saëns, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Sinfonie Nr. 5 d-moll op. 107 'Reformation'
Shiyeon Sung, conductor
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Emma McGrath, violin
Bohuslav Martinů, Les Fresques de Piero della Francesca
Béla Bartók, Piano Concerto No.2, Sz.95 (1930-1931)
Modest Mussorgski, Pictures at an Exhibition
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Overture to "Die Zauberflöte"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Violinkonzert Nr. 3 G-Dur KV 216
Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 7
Yeyeong Jenny Jin, violin
August de Boeck, Rhapsodie Dahoméenne
Max Bruch, Concerto for Violin No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Peter Tschaikowsky, Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op.64
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra
Bomsori Kim, violin
Franz Liszt, Les préludes
Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1 E-flat major
Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60
Mariam Batsashvili, piano
The South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung is a real trailblazer of her profession. She is the first female conductor out of South Korea to make the leap to the podium of internationally renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since 2023, she has been the Auckland Philharmonia’s Principal Guest Conductor.
When she was appointed assistant conductor at the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007, her reputation as one of the most exciting emerging talents on the international music circuit was already secure: shortly before, Shiyeon Sung had won the International Conductors’ Competition Sir Georg Solti and the Gustav Mahler Conductors’ Competition in Bamberg. During her three-year tenure in Boston, she began a close collaboration with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted their season-opening concert in 2007. In 2009, the orchestra established an associate conductor’s position especially for her, which she held until 2013. She was chief conductor of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra from 2014 to 2017, during which time she led the orchestra to international success. Their concert at the Musikfest Berlin 2017 and the CD production for Decca with Mahler's 5th Symphony were special highlights of her tenure. After her departure from Gyeonggi, Shiyeon Sung relocated to Berlin where she now resides, but remains a popular guest in her home country and regularly returns to the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and other Korean orchestras.
The list of orchestras that Shiyeon Sung has worked with since then is remarkable. It includes renowned European orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition, she appeared as guest conductor at the Teatro Colón and the Stockholm Opera.
Shiyeon Sung’s 2023/24 season kicks off at the Hollywood Bowl in a concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Following her successful debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in their musica viva series in July 2022 season, she was immediately re-invited for subscription concerts in November 2023. She will also return to the Royal Philharmonic for five concerts in February 2024 following her successful debut in December 2022. She will also make her debuts with the Detroit Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Pacific Symphony and the Adelaide Symphony amongst others, and return to the Seattle Symphony and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife. In Asia, she will appear with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Kanagawa Philharmonic and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
Born in Pusan, South Korea, Shiyeon Sung won various prizes as a pianist in youth competitions. From 2001 to 2006, she studied orchestral conducting with Rolf Reuter at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and continued her education with advanced conducting studies with Jorma Panula at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
2023/2024 season
This biography is to be reproduced without any changes, omissions or additions, unless expressly authorised by the artist management.
"The Korean conductor begins Maurice Ravel's classic in an extreme, almost inaudible pianissimo, skilfully using the sensitive acoustics of the Isarphilharmonie together with the BR Symphony Orchestra. She then emphasised the jazzy moments, at a tight tempo, but always with a sensitive sound. Musical power and precise detail: this conducting balancing act characterises the entire programme, which interweaves works by Ravel with those by György Ligeti. (...) When the orchestra becomes huge again in Ravel's "Ma mere l'oye", the sound remains finely balanced. And gives another opportunity to praise Shiyeon Sung for her thoughtful phrasing, her refined internal dynamics and transitions. Ravel's collection of fairy-tale images thus leads into the poetic, into a dream realm, the evening as a whole effectively contradicting all traditional concert dramaturgy, from the powerful to the delicate."
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Michael Stallknecht, 27 November 2023
"Shiyeon Sung offers such an abundance of detail that it is hard to keep up while listening. The South Korean conductor is extremely precise with the dynamics: the longer the BR Symphony Orchestra lingers in tantalising pianissimo, the more electrifying the tension builds up. We encounter a whole host of special works [Ravel and Ligeti] here, all of which are conducted by Shiyeon Sung with precision, but also with an elusive elegance, a sense of lightness, brightness and friendliness."
Abendzeitung, Michael Bastian Weiß, 24 November 2023
"Sung’s overall conducting of Holst’s 'The Planets' was exemplary. (...) Her interpretation imbued the astrological characteristics of each planetary voice with a fresh distinctive sound, without losing the essence of Holst’s overall vision. It was a fine achievement. Her strong technical skills and attention to detail with a clear, insistent beat allowed her sweeping style to coax as well as lead."
Limelight Magazine, Suzannah Conway, 17 April 2023
“...Isang Yun's orchestral works have an unmistakable tone, determined by rather shrill, high woodwinds (...) This also applies to Yun's ‘Réak’ from 1966, which opened the musica viva concert with the BR Symphony Orchestra in the Herkulessaal, conducted clearly and energetically by Shiyeon Sung.”
Abendzeitung, Robert Braunmüller, 7 July 2022
“The rest of the evening also convinces with an adventurous programme. (...) Conductor Shiyeon Sung, whose impressive debut makes her the eighth female conductor ever to conduct the Concertgebouw Orchestra, first makes the threatening clarinet solos in Bartók's Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin glow softly, then lets the orchestra blaze to incandescent volume.”
de Volkskrant, Rick van Veldhuizen, 7 November 2021
“Here, in Muak by Isang Yun and in The Miraculous Mandarin by Bartók, conductor Sung brought out the best in the Concertgebouworkest. Her debut in this wonderful programme, born of a cancellation, definitely deserves a sequel.”
Trouw, Peter van der Lint, 7 November 2021
“The concert’s second half was devoted to Tchaikovsky’s fatalistic Symphony No. 4, which showcased Sung’s unique ability to breathe life and originality into one of the most ubiquitous pieces in the standard repertoire. Starting with a crisp, stately rendition of the opening fanfare, Sung gave the first movement an underlying architecture that supported her nuanced, intelligent take on each of the main themes. (...) Throughout all the tempo changes, development and thematic permutations, Sung resisted the urge to sentimentalize: Every climax and emotional flourish was earned, rendering it all the more powerful and beautiful.In the breathtaking third and fourth movements, Sung raised the technical level of the orchestra, achieving a clear articulation and phrasing through the extended pizzicato passages and taking the more urgent passages at a breathtaking speed. The orchestra stayed with her as she cued them with expressive movements of hands and fingertips, and at the triumphant finale it was clear that conductor and ensemble had left everything on the stage.”
“The concert’s second half was devoted to Tchaikovsky’s fatalistic Symphony No. 4, which showcased Sung’s unique ability to breathe life and originality into one of the most ubiquitous pieces in the standard repertoire. Starting with a crisp, stately rendition of the opening fanfare, Sung gave the first movement an underlying architecture that supported her nuanced, intelligent take on each of the main themes. (...) Throughout all the tempo changes, development and thematic permutations, Sung resisted the urge to sentimentalize: Every climax and emotional flourish was earned, rendering it all the more powerful and beautiful.
In the breathtaking third and fourth movements, Sung raised the technical level of the orchestra, achieving a clear articulation and phrasing through the extended pizzicato passages and taking the more urgent passages at a breathtaking speed. The orchestra stayed with her as she cued them with expressive movements of hands and fingertips, and at the triumphant finale it was clear that conductor and ensemble had left everything on the stage.”
Utah Arts Review, Rick Mortensen, 20 November 2021
Auckland Philharmonia, Part 1 - Shiyeon Sung discusses her childhood and her beginnings in the world of music
Auckland Philharmonia, Part 2 - How does a conductor prepare for a concert? Shiyeon Sung breaks down the steps she takes to prepare for taking the podium
Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite - Shiyeon Sung / Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain - Shiyeon Sung / Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Mahler Symphony No.5 - Shiyeon Sung / Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra
P.I.Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5 in e minor, Op.64 - ll. Andante cantabile
Dvorak Cello Concerto 3rd mvt, Jakob Koranyi - Cello
Claire Huangci, Shiyeon Sung, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Berlin Classics, B07T4RYMLT, 2019
Shiyeon Sung, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra DECCA 2016, DD41140
Shiyeon Sung, Ann Hobson Pilot, Boston Symphony Orchestra ℗ 2015 Boston Symphony Orchestra Inc., 2011