Winter Fine Arts Series Opens
LOCK HAVEN – The Friends of the Pipes at Great Island 2015 Winter Fine Arts Series kicks off this season with a recital by Dr. Hyeri Choi, violin on Sunday, January 25th at 1:30pm. Her recital will include works by Mozart, Franck and Ysaye. Proceeds from the concerts benefit the historic pipe organ restoration project at the church.
Born in Busan, Korea, Hyeri Choi holds her doctorate degree in Violin Performance and Literature from Eastman School of Music having studied with Mikhail Kopelman since 2007. She received her Bachelor of Music from Ewha Woman’s University in Korea, and she earned her Orchestra Performance Certificate as a full scholarship and stipend recipient at TOHO Orchestra Academy in Japan. As a scholarship fellow, Hyeri had also internationally participated in summer festivals including Kirishima International Music Festival (Japan), Music Alp Festival (France), and the Music Academy of the West (USA) with various renowned artists.
Dr. Choi is a passionate solo, chamber, and orchestra musician. As a soloist, she made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as the first prize winner of the 2014 American Protégé International String and Piano Competition. During her Eastman years, Hyeri gave a solo recital in the Musicales Concert Series at George Eastman House in 2012, and presented several different recitals based on a variety of interesting titles including Russian and Hungarian repertoires.
As an orchestral musician, Hyeri has been fortunate to work with a variety of musicians in programs and institutions including MostArts Festival, Endless Mountain Music Festival (EMMF), the Toho Orchestra Academy, the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, the Music Academy of the West, the Ewha Woman’s University, and the Eastman School of Music. At Eastman, she served as a concertmaster of the Eastman Graduate Chamber Orchestra and the Ray Wright Jazz Studio Orchestra. During her years of study in Korea and Japan, Dr. Choi worked for the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra as the second violin principal, and she took specialized orchestral performance classes from Toho Orchestra Academy.
As a chamber player, Dr. Choi was invited as a full scholarship fellow of the New Mexico Chamber Music Festival in 2013-2014 in Albuquerque, NM. She is a member of the Piano Trio “Dante Deo”, created by Eastman Alumni in 2013.
Dr. Choi has been actively serving as an Assistant Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes (OSFL) in Elmira, NY. She is currently on the faculty at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, and the NY String Academy in Fort Lee, NJ.
Jina Jang, her accompanist, was born in Seoul, Korea where she studied with Professor Hee-Youn Choi in Seoul National University. After moving to the States, she earned her Master’s degree in Piano Performance and Literature under Dr. Elisi at Eastman School of Music. She has won many competitions in Korea and had numerous recitals in both Korea and the United States. Along with Dr. Choi, Jang is a member of the Piano trio “Dante Deo”. She has begun her DMA study at Pennsylvania State University studying under the tutorage of Dr. Timothy Shafer as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
“We are honored to have both of these well-educated artists in this year’s series”, said Christina Frank, concert organizer. “This won’t be one to miss.” Tickets for the performance are available at the door. All concerts are held at Great Island Presbyterian Church, 12 West Water Street Lock Haven. Please call 570-726-7070 with questions.
