This month, the Houston Symphony welcomes a new concertmaster: Yoonshin Song. After a rigorous and exhaustive three-year search that considered 39 top candidates from around the world, our musicians, Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and orchestra administrators at last found a violinist to fill the shoes of Frank Huang, who left the Houston Symphony to become concertmaster for the New York Philharmonic in 2015.
So, who is Yoonshin Song? Like many violinists, Yoonshin had an early start on her instrument, beginning lessons at age 5 in her home country of South Korea. “My mother loves classical music, so when my brother and I were young, she dreamt of us being able to play some instruments—piano for my brother and violin for me. I had no choice!” she says with a smile. Fortunately, Yoonshin took to the instrument as few children do, and progressed so rapidly she had made her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra by age 11.
She soon developed an impressive resume, performing as soloist with many other distinguished orchestras and winning a raft of competitions, including the prestigious Stradivarius International Violin Competition in the United States. Ultimately, she decided to pursue a career as a concertmaster, and before her appointment in Houston, Yoonshin served as concertmaster for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 2012 to 2019.
“A concertmaster’s life is extremely rich in musical experiences,” Yoonshin reflected. “It provides access to so many different ways of experiencing the gift of music. You get to play an endless number of beautiful symphonic works while still enjoying solo opportunities and chamber music within the circle of the orchestra.”
This diversity of musical activities makes the concertmaster’s career a rewarding one, but the position also comes with many crucial responsibilities. “The concertmaster leads the first violin section, but also gives direction to the whole ensemble with help from the principals of the other sections,” Yoonshin explained. “This, of course, should all be coordinated under the conductor’s musical direction,” she added. “My role is to convey the conductor’s intentions efficiently and clearly to the other orchestra members with my gestures and words during the rehearsal process. I also try to help the whole musical process in other ways—from practical suggestions to inspirational ideas—in order to produce the best musical experience for ourselves and audiences.”
It almost goes without saying that the concertmaster is also responsible for playing violin solos in the orchestral repertoire—many of which are incredibly difficult. Concertmasters typically have opportunities to play concertos and other major solo works with orchestra, and on rare occasions may even be called upon to fill in for an ailing or unavailable guest soloist at short notice.
In Yoonshin’s hands, however, technical feats seem effortless, and listeners can simply be swept away by the music. Houston audiences have already had several opportunities to experience her virtuoso technique and musical sensitivity live—before officially starting as concertmaster, she gave us a preview of things to come by performing with the orchestra, for the final three Classical Series programs of the 2018–19 season in May.
But it was her first performances with the orchestra in November 2018 that convinced the Symphony she was the violinist we wanted as our new concertmaster. “Yoonshin’s appearance with our orchestra was amazingly fortuitous,” related Principal Cello Brinton Smith, who served as chair of the concertmaster search committee. “As luck would have it, our scheduled guest concertmaster had to cancel, and Yoonshin had a free week and was willing to fly down on just a few hours’ notice to serve as guest concertmaster.”
The program was a challenging one of works by Strauss, Scriabin, and Weill that included several exposed solos for the concertmaster. Sitting just on the other side of the conductor, Brinton was in a unique position to observe Yoonshin at work. “It was immediately apparent to us from the first rehearsal that she had that perfect combination of virtuosity and musical and personal leadership we had been seeking. Finding the right fit for this most crucial position is a bit like searching for a spouse. You can sort through hundreds of well-qualified candidates for years, but when you do finally find the right person, you just know it.”
The feeling was mutual. “The chemistry was good,” Yoonshin noted, recalling her first visit. “I liked the warm weather, but found the people in the Houston Symphony to be even warmer!”
Yoonshin is excited to dive into her new role as concertmaster, which she officially begins at our Opening Night Concert with Yefim Bronfman on September 14. Reflecting on the upcoming season, Yoonshin noted that she is particularly looking forward to the Schumann Festival in February. “I am curious how it will feel to live with so much of Schumann’s wonderful music in such a short period of time,” she said. “I’m also excited to help this musical genius’s masterpieces come to life for Houston audiences.” Until then, we can look forward to many superb performances as we welcome this new member of the Symphony family to Houston.
—Calvin Dotsey
Yoonshin Song holds the Max Levine Chair.
