Interview by Kyle Macmillan
One often-followed path to classical-music success is the field’s network of high-profile and high-pressure international competitions, which can bring instant recognition to the winners and quickly ignite a professional career.
South Korean cellist Hayoung Choi followed that formula to a tee, winning first prize at the 2022 edition of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium. Its jury featured such heavy-hitters on the instrument as Gautier Capuçon, Mischa Maisky and Sharon Robinson.
“It was a transformative experience,” said Choi who is now 27. “It opened many doors, not only in terms of international performance opportunities but also in giving me the artistic freedom to shape my own programs and collaborate with musicians I deeply admire. It marked the beginning of a new chapter, with greater creative autonomy and exciting challenges.”
A Spotlight Performance at the Colorado Music Festival
Colorado Music Festival audiences will have a chance to hear this fresh talent Sunday, July 20, at 6:30 pm when she joins guest conductor Maurice Cohn for a program that includes one of the most beloved works ever for cello and orchestra – Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, the Fitzenhagen edition.
The Charm and Challenge of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo
Its title is a bit confusing as Tchaikovsky, who also composed such popular works as the 1812 Overture and The Nutcracker, did not use a pre-existing theme from the mid-18th-century rococo period, a transitional time from the Baroque to the Classical eras.
Instead, the 19th-century Russian composer wrote his own theme in the rococo style, which put an emphasis on lightness and refinement, and he was especially looking back to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote in the rococo style early in his career.
Composed in 1876-77, this 20-minute work is composed of a main theme and seven variations, and offers multiple challenges to the soloist, including playing almost non-stop throughout and often in high register. Choi learned the piece when she was 11 and performed it with an orchestra a year or so later.
“It’s elegant, virtuosic and full of charm,” she said. “Tchaikovsky’s love for Mozart comes through in a way that’s both playful and lyrical, and there’s a joyful spirit in how he brings Classical grace to life through a Romantic lens. Performing it in Colorado’s vibrant summer setting feels like a perfect match.”
A Globally Shaped Musical Journey
Choi was born in Bielefeld, Germany, but moved with her South Korean parents back to their homeland to attend elementary school and begin taking cello lessons. When she was 11, she undertook studies with noted soloists Myung-wha Chung and Hyoung Won Chang at the Korean National University of Arts.
“Our home was always filled with music,” Choi said, “My parents aren’t musicians themselves, but they’re classical music lovers, and that passion was passed on to me and my two sisters – both of whom play violin. I explored many forms of expression – I played harp, sang, performed in musicals, painted and figure skated. But the cello’s voice spoke to me in a very personal way, and it gradually became the heart of my artistic world.”
Her somewhat nomadic childhood continued with middle school studies at England’s Purcell School of Young Musicians and then a return to Germany when she was 16. Choi earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music in 2016 and ‘17 respectively from Germany’s Kronberg Academy.
“Growing up in such diverse cultural and educational environments has had a big influence on me,” Choi said. “Not only musically but also in how I adapt and connect with people across different contexts.”
Falling in Love with Baroque
She has continued her studies since, including time at the Reina Sofía School of Music under Ivan Monighetti in Spain. Choi is currently based in Berlin and is studying baroque cello in the early-music department at the University of Arts Berlin.
“While I feel deeply connected to the 20th-century and Romantic repertoire, I’ve developed a strong love for Baroque music,” she said. “There’s a clarity and rhetorical expressiveness in it that invites an intimate kind of storytelling.”
Introducing the Ex-Starker: A Voice of Its Own
Choi performs on a loaned 1707 cello, known as the Ex-Starker, by Joseph Guarnerius filius Andreae (1666-1739 or ‘40), the father of Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu, the most famous of the Guarneri family’s line of violin makers and a professional rival of Antonio Stradivari.
“This Guarneri cello is truly my voice,” she said. “It’s a remarkable instrument – rich in color, full of depth and capable of both incredible power and the most delicate nuance. Every time I play it, it reveals something new. It’s a constant inspiration.”
Touring the U.S. and Her First Visit to Colorado
The cellist usually comes to the United States twice each year, and her trip to Colorado will be her second visit to the country in 2024-25. Her coming season includes September performances of Brahms’ Double Concerto with Maurice Cohn and the West Virginia Symphony, where he is music director, and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Baltimore Symphony.
Last year, Choi performed at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl and was dazzled by the “electric atmosphere” and the historic venue. “Summer festivals in the U.S. have a unique energy and sense of openness that I really enjoy,” she said.
Excited for the Mountains and Music
Her visit to the Festival will be her first ever to the state. “I’m excited not only to perform but also to experience the natural beauty of the region,” she said. “Being surrounded by the mountains and such a majestic landscape adds something deeply inspiring to the artistic experience.
Hayoung Choi performs at the Colorado Music Festival on Sunday, July 20, at 6:30 pm MT.
