When she isn’t jet setting to locations domestic and abroad, playing violin as a guest performer with famous symphonies, Chee-Yun Kim teaches private lessons to a select few SMU students in her basement studio in the Meadows School.
After an international search for applicants, Meadows hired Chee-Yun as an artist-in-residence, a promotion from the temporary position she held last semester as guest artist in residence.
“We are thrilled that she accepted the position,” said Nancy Cochran, the director of the Division of Music at Meadows. “Chee-Yun clearly loves to teach. She focuses individual attention on each student and is able to offer excellent and perceptive guidance about how they might grow as musicians and violinists.”
She previously held similar positions at both the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Indiana University School of Music.
“When students are passionate and driven about music, it motivates me to give them more,” she said, stressing the give and take relationship she has with her students.
The 37-year-old has been playing violin since age six and concretizing around the world since her freshman year of college at Juilliard in 1989 when she competed in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and won. The first place prize was a three-year management contract, and she took full advantage.
As a freshman, she began traveling around the world, spotlighting with world-renowned orchestras and symphonies. She’s kept a busy schedule ever since and claims to have perfected living out of a suitcase due to her frequent trips.
Playing 85 solo concerts a year, not including the numerous summer music festivals, keeps Chee-Yun away from her Richardson home the second half of the week, and she said she feels more stable and at home than she has in years.
“I’ve always been career, career, career, but now I want both,” said Chee-Yun, referring to her personal life.
Chee-Yun moved to Dallas from Houston to accept the job as guest artist in residence last semester when she received a call from Andrés Diaz, an associate professor of cello at Meadows and her long-time friend, who invited her to apply.
Chee-Yun said she enjoys being able to go home and cook dinner after a full day of teaching.
“SMU is somewhere I would love to be everyday,” she said. “But if I were to be here all the time I would not have that recruiting power to bring in students from abroad.”
While concretizing last semester, Chee-Yun recruited four students with the promise of learning under her as one of her private students.
“I may look sweet, but…” said the five-foot-three violinist while shaking her head. “I’m giving [my students] the experience of how it will be in the real world.”
Jorge Caldelari, one of Chee-Yun’s artist certificate students from the spring semester, said, “I was walking in the hall and passed close to her studio, and listened to her play an incredible Bach. This was in February, and I was really impressed. When my lessons began I was also impressed by her serious conception about sound production and intonation. She clarified me on every aspect that was in need of a review in my playing, so she has been very helpful for my development as a musician and violinist.”
Domestically, she has played as a guest performer with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Dallas Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
Abroad, she has also made appearances as a guest musician with the London Festival Orchestra, the MDR Radio Leipzig, the NHK Orchestra, L’Orchestre de Paris and the St. Petersburg Camerata.
Chee-Yun will be performing her debut concert at SMU in the Meadows School’s 2007-2008 Distinguished Artist Recital Series, at three p.m. on Oct. 28 in Caruth Auditorium.
