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Johannes Brahms, Concerto for Violin Op. 77 in D major
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Shiyeon Sung, conductor
Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra
Chung Kyung-wha, violin
Valerie Coleman, Seven O'Clock Shout
Johann Sebastian Bach, Keyboard Concerto No. 4 in A Major, BWV 1055
Jessie Montgomery, Rounds for Piano and Strings
Sergej Rachmaninow, Symphonic Dances Op. 45
Oakland Symphony
Camille Saint-Saëns, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61
Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 86 in D major
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Olivier Blache, violin
Florence Price, Ethiopia's shadow in America for Orchestra
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Violinkonzert D-Dur op. 35
Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op.95 'From the New World'
Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
Ayana Tsuji, violin
Maurice Ravel, Bolero
György Ligeti, Concert Românesc
Maurice Ravel, Tzigane
György Ligeti, Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major
Maurice Ravel, Ma Mère l'Oye
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Sebastian Klinger, violoncello
Anton Barakhovsky, violin
Maurice Ravel, Klavierkonzert G-Dur
Maurice Ravel, Alborada del gracioso
Claude Debussy, La Mer
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Alexandra Dariescu, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven, Overture to 'Leonore' No. 3 in C major, Op. 72
Joseph Haydn, Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb:1
Robert Schumann, Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Zlatomir Fung, violoncello
Antonín Dvořák, Drei Konzertstücke, Fassung für Violoncello und Bläseroktett
Lili Boulanger, D'un soir triste
Lili Boulanger, D'un matin de printemps
Peter Tschaikowsky, Variations for violoncello and orchestra on a Rococo Theme in A major Op. 33
Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60
Wei Yu, violoncello
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Donghoon Shin, The Hunter’s Funeral
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 21 C major, KV467
Peter Tschaikowsky, Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique'
Pacific Symphony
Yeol Eum Son, piano
Carl Maria von Weber, Der Freischütz (The Marksman)
Samuel Barber, Konzert für Violine und Orchester op. 14
Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 8 in B minor D 759 "Unfinished'
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Robert Uchida, violin
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 Korea National Opera and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
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, Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, and Bamberg Symphony, 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 Hankyung and the Daejeon Philharmonic, the KBS Symphony Orchestra and the Kanagawa Philharmonic.
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.
"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
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