Violinist Seol Min-kyung Appointed Associate Concertmaster of Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany

Violinist Seol Min-kyung (32) has been appointed as the associate concertmaster of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany.

Violinist Seol Min-kyung.
Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation

According to the Kumho Cultural Foundation on the 12th, Seol Min-kyung joined the Bamberg Symphony in September 2018 and has been active as a second violinist. She passed the audition held earlier this month and will begin her role as associate concertmaster starting next month.

The Bamberg Symphony is an orchestra based in Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, founded in 1946 by musicians who migrated from Czechoslovakia to Germany after the end of World War II.

Josef Keilberth, James Loughran, Horst Stein, and Jonathan Nott have served as principal conductors. Herbert Blomstedt and Christoph Eschenbach were honored with the title of honorary conductors. Currently, Jakub Hr??a leads the orchestra as the principal conductor.

Korean members include Yang Ju-young (first violin), Ji Sang-hee (first violin), a Kumho Young Artist alumnus, and Shin Dong-chan (first violin).

The selection for the associate concertmaster position was conducted through three rounds of auditions in one day on the 4th. After each round, the principal conductor and all orchestra members participated in meetings and voting, and after the final third audition, a secret ballot was held to select the final successful candidate.

Whether Seol Min-kyung’s appointment as associate concertmaster will be permanent will be decided through a member vote after a one-and-a-half-year probation period.

Seol Min-kyung said, "Performing in front of fellow members was not easy, but I felt I would regret it if I did not participate in the associate concertmaster audition, so I challenged myself. I was very nervous, but through this audition, I once again realized how grateful I am to perform with colleagues who share a good rapport."

Seol Min-kyung graduated from Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and Korea National University of Arts, earned a master's degree from the Berlin University of the Arts (Hans Eisler), and completed the Konzertexamen (highest performance degree) at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig.

She debuted in 2002 with the Kumho Young Artist Concert, gained recognition by winning first place at the Ewha Kyunghyang Music Competition, and second place at the Louis Spohr International Competition and the Isang Yun International Competition. She has served as concertmaster of the Sapporo Pacific Music Festival Orchestra and the Verbier Festival Orchestra. She is currently also active as a member of the Wald Ensemble.