Biography
Violinist Giyeon Yoon joins the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 2019 having previously served as a violinist at the National Symphony Orchestra for their 2018/19 season. Prior to her appointment with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Giyeon previously served as a concertmaster of the Pacific Music Festival, the Manhattan School of Music, and Seoul National University. As a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in 2018, she was named one of ten Zarin Mehta Fellows toperform with the New York Philharmonic as part of their 2018 Global Academy.
A brilliant and enthusiastic musician, Ms. Yoon enjoys an exciting and versatile musical career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, teaching artist, and orchestra musician throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
She was born in Korea, where she started playing the piano at the age of 4, and started playing the violin at the age of 6. When she was 11 years old, she had her debut recital at Kumho Art Hall in Korea as well as at the Eastman School of Music in New York where she studied with Zvi Zeitlin. When she was in Seoul Arts High School, she was chosen to play the Waxman Carmen Fantasy and made her Seoul Arts Center hall debut with Nanse Gum who was the first Korean to win the prize at the Herbert von Karajan Conductors’ Competition in Berlin. Ms. Yoon also won the first-place prize at numerous competitions including the 52nd Dong-A Competition and the Joongang Competition.
In addition, she was a grand prize winner of the New York Artists International Competition, was a first prize winner of the 2022 International Music Competition Paris Grand Prize Virtuoso, was winner of the New York International Music Competition, and was chosen in the Serge & Olga Koussevitzky Young Artist competition, having a recital in New York. She was the first prize winner of the 2021 New York International Artists Violin Competition. On July 2022, she performed winner recital at the Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall.
She started her career after numerous years of studying and performing in both her native South Korea and the United States. Ms. Yoon began her intensive studies under tutelage of professor Young Uck Kim at Seoul National University. She earned a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree, both from Seoul National University and she graduated with highest honors in Seoul National University. After she came to the United States, Giyeon received another Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music with a full scholarship. While she was in New York, she worked with Sheryl Staples, Principal Associate Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Lisa Kim, Associate Principal Second Violin of the New York Philharmonic, and Laurie Smukler, the founding first violinist of the Mendelssohn String Quartet.
An avid educator, Ms. Yoon gives masterclass in 2023 UNT International Summer Music Institute. She also teaches in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Young Strings and she gives masterclasses to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians. She also has taught and lead coachings for Highland Park High School orchestra students. Ms. Yoon currently appointed as adjunct professor at Tarrant County College Northwest from 2022. She has been a committee member on a Dallas Symphony Orchestra audition, the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition and the Friedlander Concerto Competition. She teaches violin privately with over a decade of teaching experience, and her students have made numerous accomplishments including winning competitions, passing orchestra auditions, and acceptance to college programs throughout the United States and Korea.
Giyeon performs on the Giovanni Battista Ceruti violin, crafted in Cremona, 1798.