Celebrated as a "polished ensemble that produces beautiful sounds and projects high spirits" by Daniel Cariaga of The Los Angeles Times, the Sejong Soloists is a vibrantly talented music ensemble that has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center, Suntory Hall to Salle Gaveau. They bring their act to Spaulding Auditorium on Tuesday, presenting the early works of musical prodigies: Jay Greenberg's Four Scenes, Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major and Mendelssohn's Octet in E Flat Major.
The Sejong Soloists first burst onto scene in 1995 under the guidance of director Hyo Kang, a highly accomplished violinist and renowned teacher, as a conductor-less string orchestra. The New York-based group is comprised of young soloists hailing from nine different nations: Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States, coming together in an ensemble that has been praised not only for its cohesiveness but also for its versatility.
While the group has about 20 members in total, averaging only twenty five years old, they perform a vast repertoire, from trios to octets to symphonies, producing a timbre with both the delicacy and grace of a string quartet and the power and sonority of a full orchestra. "What's very exciting is the trifecta of composers who are three separate examples of young genius," violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
The ensemble commissioned the opening piece, Four Scenes, composed by 17-year-old American Jay Greenberg. Gendron said that Greenberg was inspired by Korean folktales and how they often end in a darker and more unresolved way than their Western counterparts.
Orli Shaham, Tuesday night's featured soloist, is an American pianist and winner of the Gilmore Young Artist Award in 1995 and the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1997.
The Sejong Soloists' performance will reflect much virtuosity. But above all, it will showcase a group of young and accomplished but mature developing musicians with a bursting passion for what they do and what they play.
