Yoshika Masuda & Hyejin Kim
Biography Yoshika Masuda & Hyejin Kim
Yoshika Masuda
Described by the press as "a remarkable 'cellist who possesses both intellect and innate musicality... one of the finest cellists of his generation" (Chopin magazine Japan), Japanese 'cellist YOSHIKA MASUDA has performed throughout Australia, Japan, China, Mexico, the USA, the UK and much of western Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. He is the winner of national competitions in Australia, Japan and the US, and was also awarded the prestigious YAMAHA Music Foundation of Europe String Award.
Chamber music forms the core of Yoshika’s musical endeavours, and he has performed alongside Peter Frankl, Bruno Giuranna, Gil Kalish, Alissa Margulis, Roger Tapping, Don Weilerstein and Qian Zhou. He is the co-founder of the SAKURA cello quintet and resident cellist for Salastina LA, and was also the former cellist of the award-winning Rolston Quartet with whom he toured Canada and Europe. Yoshika has performed at the festivals of Aldeburgh and Leicester in the UK, Festival Amfiteatrof in Italy, Kirishima Music Festival in Japan, and the Yellow Barn Music Festival and Piatigorsky International Cello Festival in the USA. His performances were broadcast widely on ABC Classic FM (Australia), BBC Radio 3 (UK), Musiq’3 (Belgium), Klassik Radio (Germany), KUSC (USA) and Concertzender Radio (The Netherlands).
A keen advocate of contemporary music, Yoshika has given the US & world premieres of works by Reena Esmail, Toshio Hosokawa, Derrick Skye, Bent Sørensen, Nick Strimple and Jörg Widmann.
His interests outside of the classical genre have led him to perform with artists such as Ben Folds at the Sydney Opera House and Pink Martini at the Hollywood Bowl. Yoshika is also featured on Leonard Cohen's last album 'You Want It Darker', which was released in October 2016 on Columbia Records.
Born in Kobe, Japan, Yoshika first started playing the cello at the age of five but moved to Australia as a young child where he began his studies with Georg Pedersen at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He then studied extensively with Hannah Roberts and Ralph Kirshbaum, whilst also receiving close musical guidance from Thomas Demenga and David Geringas. Yoshika graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK with distinction and received the Principal’s Prize along with the Leonard Rose Cello Award for outstanding achievement. He gained his D.M.A. from the USC Thornton School of Music.
Yoshika is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of young cellists - his students have had successes in both local and national competitions, as well as being admitted to prestigious institutions such as Juilliard, NEC, MSM, and USC. Having previously taught at California Lutheran University, Yoshika is the new Assistant Professor of 'cello and Director of String Studies at Chapman University Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music. He has also served on the summer faculty of the Montecito International Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival and the Yellow Barn Young Artist Program.
HyeJin Kim
winner of the 2009 Concert Artists Guild Competition, has been lauded by The Strad for her “…heart-stopping, unrivalled beauty…well-thought out, yet of the moment.” Ms. Kim crafts extraordinary programs often reflecting her interests in Art and Literature which, paired with her rare sensitivity and intellect, set her apart in today’s music scene. This remarkable artistry brought her to international prominence quite early in her career when she was awarded First Prize at the Yehudi Menuhin Competition at the age of nineteen.
Current recital highlights include performances on the Kravis Center Young Artist Series in West Palm Beach, LeFrak Hall at Queens College’s Copland School of Music, Howland Cultural Center for the Patrons for Young Artists Series and the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock. She plays at Wigmore Hall with musicians from Prussia Cove in October 2012 and has toured the US as a member of Musicians from Marlboro.
Ms. Kim has performed as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach and the New Jersey Symphony led by Gerard Schwarz as well as with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Pan Asia Symphony (Hong Kong) and the Hannover Chamber Orchestra, where she led the ensemble in Mozart’s A Major Concerto at age 12. She has appeared in major venues across North America, Europe and Asia, including the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Kimmel Center Verizon Hall, Salzburg’s Mirabel Schloss and St. John’s, Smith Square, London. At the invitation of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, she was honored to perform at the U.N. Headquarters in both Geneva and New York. Ms. Kim has also served as a cultural representative for Korea in Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan through concert and outreach engagements.
In addition to her prizes in the CAG and Menuhin Competitions, Ms. Kim is also a winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra Concerto Competition, the Virtuosos of the 21st Century in Moscow and the Kay H. Logan Chamber Music Award. A rising force in the chamber music world, Ms. Kim’s festival appearances include Marlboro, Ravinia, Music from Angel Fire, Music at Menlo, Madison (GA) Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music at Gretna, Kansas City’s Sunflower Festival and Prussia Cove’s Open Chamber Music. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Paul Biss, Miriam Fried, Gilbert Kalish, Kim Kashkashian, Ida Kavafian, Jaime Laredo, Menahem Pressler, Mitsuko Uchida and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami and Orion String Quartets. Ms. Kim has served as concertmaster of both The Curtis Symphony Orchestra and New England Conservatory Philharmonia.
Born in Seoul, Korea in 1985, Hye-Jin Kim began her violin studies with Dong-Hyun Kim at the age of 8. When she was 14, Ms. Kim entered The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying with Jaime Laredo and Ida Kavafian. She earned her Masters degree studying with Miriam Fried at New England Conservatory as a recipient of NEC’s prestigious Emma V. Lambrose Presidential Scholarship. She is an Assistant Professor of Violin on the faculty of East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. Ms. Kim plays a Gioffredo Cappa violin, crafted in Saluzzo, Italy in 1687.
Beyond her musical activities, Ms. Kim is an avid reader of classic literature, with particular interest in the writings of 19th century British authors. During her travels, she has toured the homes and haunts of the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and C.S. Lewis. She shares her thoughts on music, travels, her favorite sport baseball and more on her blog A String of Notes.
