SOUTH KOREA: EIGHT-YEAR-OLD WONDER CHILD YOON-HEE AMAZES AUDIENCES WITH VIOLIN PERFORMANCE

Record ID: 545974

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: EIGHT-YEAR-OLD WONDER CHILD YOON-HEE AMAZES AUDIENCES WITH VIOLIN PERFORMANCE
  • Date: 20th September 1999
  • Summary: KIM PERFORMING FIRST MOVEMENT OF LALO'S SYMPHONY ESPANOLE AT REHEARSAL KIM PERFORMING PRAELUDIUM AND ALLEGRO BY PUGNANI-KRESLER AT CONCERT KIM PERFORMING PRAELUDIUM AND ALLEGRO BY PUGNANI-KREISLER
  • Embargoed: 5th October 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Entertainment,People
  • Reuters ID: LVACME2O8C3ICL1N3UJFERNL0GJ4
  • Story Text: South Korea's "wonder child", eight-year old Kim Yoon-hee, amazed audiences with a masterful performance of a violin in a concert in Seoul this month.
    Kim Yoon-hee is no ordinary eight-year old.
    She speaks German fluently and is quickly learning English in an Austrian State University.
    She also plays the violin like a professional.
    Kim recently performed as a soloist in a concert at the Seoul Arts Centre, not a small violin piece, but a full-sized violin concerto.
    With a half-sized violin, Kim played "Edouard Lalo's Symphonie Espanole", a solo violin concerto supported by an orchestra.
    Kim is now attending the Vienna National Music Conservatory in Austria for musical prodigies.
    She was born in Cheju Island, South Korea in 1991 and was admitted to the institution in 1995 when she was barely four years old.
    Just last July, Kim won first prize - receiving perfect scores at the 14th International Music Contest of Instrumental Performing held in San Bartolomeo al Mare, Italy.
    The judges called her a "wonder child".
    Conductor Roman Kofman of the Kiev National Orchestra said Kim is special and possesses talents not many people have.
    "She's eight, and her technique is wonderful.But more importantly, she has full emotional scale of the musical feeling, it's very funny with her age to have it, but she has it."
    The 63-year old Russian conductor also said it's rare to see a little girl who does not have stage fright.
    "She is not afraid to play on the stage, with a big orchestra.It's very important," Kofman said.
    But the veteran conductor, who has conducted 58 orchestras in 29 countries, held back on calling her a genius.
    "I don't know what is genius.It can be clearer later whether he or she is a great musician.We've seen many examples in the history that some children show extra-ordinary musical talent and after 15 or 16 years, they would become normal."
    Kim Yoon-hee and her mother agree with Kofman.
    While the others call her a musical genius, Kim said the reason behind her talent is endless hours of practice.
    "I practice violin for three hours a day when I am busy normally four to five hours a day.I listen to music over breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I can't fall asleep without music around".
    Kim's mother, Yoo So-bang said playing violin is a part of her daughter's daily routine.
    "She started playing the violin at the age of three, actually one month ahead of three and she regards violin practice as a part of her daily life, just like having meals everyday."
    Kim's father runs a music recording company and Kim's aunt is an opera singer in Vienna.
    Kim's mother, stayed in Vienna for three years, so Kim learned to speak German fluently.
    Classical concerts were a regular fare for Kim since she was two years old.
    Kim pleaded her mother to give her a violin and she finally got one on her third birthday.
    Kim currently plays a half-sized Cremonia violin crafted by Amati in 1705, which is said to be worth 2 million dollars.
    "They loaned this violin to me when I won the first prize at the "Prima la Musica" contest in Austria,"
    Her favourite musician is her violin instructor in Vienna, Professor Eugenia Polatschek.
    She also likes Mozart and Sarah Chang, a Korean violinist.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
Register