B i o g r a p h y  (English)

With a wide background ranging from Baroque to Contemporary, Siyeon Ryu draws her musical inspirations from both the classical and folk music traditions of the world.

The epitome of her musical presence is her annual ‘Siyeon Ryu's Theme Concert’ which started 2002, where the traditional boundaries of musical fusion of tango, folk, and baroque were explored under a new light of ex pressions.

 

Her vivid interpretations of Piazzolla tango is captured in the album ‘Pasion, Amor & Piazzolla’ released under the Sony Label. Her recent musical interest lies in re-visitation and re-interpretation of traditional Korean folk music through her unique touch of violin, acquired through years’ of her persistent learning of Haegeum, Korea’s traditional string instrument. Ms Ryu's curiosity and interest in experimenting with Korean traditional folk tunes continues in her thrilling Sony Classical Recording of 2014 'Reminiscence'. She has brought the light to the new frontier of beautifully harmonizing different cultures, enchanting the audiences not only in her country but also in Germany and U.K.

 

Ms. Ryu completed the recital debut in 1995 at the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Her professional experience began by touring the United States, the United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Germany, and Poland. In 2008, 2009 and 2014, she successfully participated in recitals of the Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusik Saal under the auspices of the Green peace International. Moreover, she frequently attends Cambridge International String Academy every summer as a professor and performer.

 

As for her educational background, her undergraduate studies started at Seoul National University and completed at the Curtis Institute of Music. She received her Artist Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London and Master’s degree from Yale University, then she completed her education with doctorate degree at the State University of New York.

 

She found early success as a grand prize winner in the series of national competitions such as Korea Times Concours, the Ewha & Kyunghyang Concours, and as a lead violinist of the ‘Young People’s Concert’ with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of 17, she won the very renowned Dong-A Daily News Music Competition, and was awarded the ‘Youth Musician Honor’ by the Governor of Seoul Metropolitan City. In 1995, she was also a leader of Yale’s Resident String Quartet.

 

Ms. Ryu participated in the master classes of world-class musicians such as Issac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, Igor Oistrakh, Josef Gingold. And with Ida Haendel, Herman Krebbers and Rodney Friend with special inspiring influences. Her mentors include NamYun Kim, Aaron Rosand, Rodney Friend, Syoko Aki, and Lazar Gosman. Ms. Ryu has been a professor at SookMyung Women’s University since 2000 and without a doubt, an outstanding concert violinist and an enthusiastic pioneer of violin repertoire through out her musical life.