| HAHN-BIN | |
|---|---|
Hahn-Bin at Carnegie Hall in March 2011 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Yoo Hanbin (유한빈) |
| Born | 3 August 1987 Seoul, Korea |
| Genres | Classical, Experimental, Avant-garde |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Violin |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Universal Music (Korea) |
| Website | hahn-bin.com |
Hahn-Bin (born 3 August 1987) is a Korean-American violinist. He made his international debut at age twelve at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2009 following a decade of study with Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program and the Juilliard School.
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Born in Seoul, Korea, Hahn-Bin began his violin studies at age five and won a top prize at the Korea Times Competition the same year. He made his first national television appearance at age eight in a documentary profiling Korean prodigies on the KBS network, showcasing his talent in violin performance and composing music, poetry, and plays. At age nine, Hahn-Bin was the youngest student accepted to the Korean National University of Arts. By age ten, Hahn-Bin had made his orchestral debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and performed solo recitals in several major concert halls throughout Korea.
In 1999, Hahn-Bin moved to Los Angeles to study with Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School and under his tutelage performed the Édouard Lalo Symphonie Espagnole at the 42nd Grammy Awards. A series of engagements with U.S. orchestras soon followed, including the Pacific Symphony under music director Carl St.Clair and the San Diego Symphony conducted by Murry Sidlin. Hahn-Bin became the recipient of a $3.5 million dollar Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu from the Stradivari Society of Chicago in 2000.[1] Hahn-Bin's first European tour came in 2004, performing the Sibelius violin concerto with Landesjugendorchester Rheinland-Pfalz led by Klaus Arp, and at age sixteen recorded works by Arvo Pärt, Francis Poulenc, and Leoš Janáček for his debut album HAZE, released by Universal Music Korea to critical acclaim in 2005.
Following a video audition, Hahn-Bin was chosen by Itzhak Perlman to become one of his students at the Perlman Music Program in 2001. In 2004, with Perlman's invitation to join his studio at the Juilliard School, Hahn-Bin moved to New York City to further his musical studies. In an interview with Los Angeles Times in 2011, Hahn-Bin said of his longtime mentor:
"[Perlman] taught me everything I know about music, and how to put everything I felt into the music for the benefit of my audiences."[2]
Hahn-Bin graduated from Professional Children's School in 2006, and earned his Diploma from the Juilliard School in 2009.
In 2008-2009 concert season, Hahn-Bin made his Paris debut at The Auditorium of Musée du Louvre,[3] his Australian debut with the Queensland Orchestra at the Last Night of the Proms, his Japan debut with Bucheon Philharmonic in Muza Symphony Hall, as well as performances with Seoul and Daejeon Philharmonics at the Seoul Arts Center.
Hahn-Bin's first prize win at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in January 2009 led to two important debuts; his New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall (presented by architect Peter Marino) and his Washington debut at the Kennedy Center in October 2009. The performances, which juxtaposed the music of John Cage with Frédéric Chopin, Mozart with Witold Lutosławski, and Fritz Kreisler with Alfred Schnittke, won critical acclaim.[4][5][6]
For his 2010-2011 concert season Hahn-Bin introduced The Renaissance of Classical Music, an umbrella title for his performance projects which aim to bring classical music to a new generation.[7] Thus far The Renaissance has included Soliloquy for Andy Warhol; his first solo performance series at The Museum of Modern Art[8], The Five Poisons; the recital project inspired by Tibetan Buddhism at Rubin Museum of Art, Hammer Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Morgan Library and Museum and Konzerthaus Berlin, and Still Life; the world premiere of Christopher Cerrone's new violin concerto, written and commissioned for Hahn-Bin by New York Youth Symphony, a performance which marked Hahn-Bin's mainstage debut at Carnegie Hall.
Hahn-Bin's performances are noted for his unconventional presentations of classical music,[9] as well as for the unusual juxtapositions of classical and postmodern music.[10]
Of Hahn-Bin's performance art, Itzhak Perlman stated in an interview with The New York Times:
"[Hahn-Bin] is an extremely talented violinist who is very, very individual. He combines music with drama and a visual element. It’s very personal to him. When an artist feels it that personally, the audience does, too.”[11]
Hahn-Bin has cited Maria Callas, Vladimir Horowitz, Allen Ginsberg,[12] Björk, Nick Knight, Robert Wilson, Andy Warhol, and Laurie Anderson[13] as some of his artistic influences.