Chee-Yun’s first public performance, at the age of 8, took place in her native Seoul after she won the Grand Prize of the Korean Times Competition. At age 13, she came to the United States and was invited to perform the Vieuxtemps Concerto No. 5 in a Young People’s Concert with the New York Philharmonic. At the age of 15, she appeared as soloist with the New York String Orchestra under Alexander Schneider at Carnegie Hall and at the Kennedy Center. In Korea, Chee-Yun studied with Nam Yun Kim. Since coming to America, she has worked with Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang and Felix Galimir (for chamber music) at the Juilliard School.
Chee-Yun has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant (1990) and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions (1989). She was also nominated for Best Debut in the first annual Cannes Classical Awards at the MIDEM international music convention (1994).
In 1993, Chee-Yun returned to Korea to receive the “Nan Pa” award, the country’s highest musical honor. She was honored in a different manner in the United States, when she was invited to perform at the White House for President Clinton and his guests in honor of the recipients of the National Medal of the Arts.
Career highlights include appearances at the Kennedy Center’s “Salute to Slava” gala honoring Mstislav Rostropovich, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York and on its tour of Japan, the Pacific Music Festival with Michael Tilson Thomas in a premiere of Lou Harrison’s Suite for Violin and String Orchestra, and the inaugural concert at the Danny Kaye Playhouse in New York City. During the past season, Chee-Yun toured the United States with the San Francisco Symphony (Michael Tilson Thomas conducting) and Japan with the NHK Symphony and the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra. She was also featured in the American Ballet Theatre’s Fall Gala with Principal Dancers of the company.
Highlights of her 2000-01 season included performances with leading orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Of particular interest was Chee-Yun’s return appearance with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, featuring her performance of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Second Violin Concerto with the composer on the podium. This season also marked the fourth Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music tour, a project Chee-Yun has been associated with since its inception.
As a recitalist, Chee-Yun has performed in many major cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta. Committed to chamber music, she has toured with “Musicians from Marlboro” and most recently performed at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Summerfest La Jolla, the Colorado Festival in Boulder, and the Bridgehampton Festival on Long Island.