The Era of Resident Musicians: Spotlight on Cellist Choi Ha-young

On the 21st of this month at the Lotte Concert Hall, cellist Choi Ha-young (26) expressed her excitement about being selected as a resident musician for the upcoming year. "Next year's concert will feature two contemporary pieces that are quite experimental and challenging in terms of cello techniques, so the audience might find it a bit 'shocking,'" she said with a smile.

Choi Ha-young, a rising star who won the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Competition, is known for her bold choices, such as opting for the concerto by Polish contemporary composer Witold Lutosławski during the finals of the competition instead of more familiar classical and romantic works. She added, "I am preparing to showcase the various tones of the cello for the audience to experience visually and audibly."

The concept of a resident musician involves a performer taking on a prominent role at a concert hall or festival throughout the year, engaging in solo performances, collaborations, and chamber music. This term has gained popularity recently, especially with pianist Cho Seong-jin being named a resident musician for the Berlin Philharmonic. This arrangement allows musicians to tackle pieces they might not usually attempt while providing concert halls with stable programming, creating a win-win situation. Recently, pianist Lim Yoon-chan was also announced as the resident performer for the Tongyeong International Music Festival next year.

Choi Ha-young will perform on stage twice next year and has additional collaborations planned. Notably, on April 30, she will share the stage with her sister, violinist Choi Song-ha (24), in a 'sister duo' performance. Choi Song-ha was the runner-up at last year's Montreal Competition. This will be the first time the sisters perform together on a domestic stage. Choi Ha-young remarked, "We rarely fought while living together. I've always wanted to perform as a duo, and I'm excited that this dream is coming true."

The original resident musician program in South Korea was established at Kumho Art Hall, which selected pianist Kim Da-sol as its first resident musician in 2013. Since then, it has collaborated with 12 different artists. Next year, for the first time, a chamber ensemble, the Arete Quartet, will be named as the resident musician instead of a soloist. Formed in 2019, the quartet has won consecutive awards at prestigious competitions, including the Prague Spring Competition in 2021, the Mozart Competition in 2023, and the Lyon Competition this year. They will present a diverse repertoire, starting with Haydn's 'The Seven Last Words' on January 9 and including 20th-century chamber music by Shostakovich and Bartók on September 4.

However, the resident musician system in South Korea has two notable shortcomings: it tends to feature younger musicians rather than established artists, and there is a concentration on popular instruments like piano, violin, and cello. The House Concert has appointed classical saxophonist Brandon Choi (Korean name 최진우, 36) as its resident musician for next year. He will present a variety of performances, including a saxophone concerto on March 10, saxophone arrangements of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff's cello sonatas on June 9, a saxophone arrangement of a piano quartet on September 29, and a saxophone and jazz improvisation session on December 8. Kang Sun-ae, the representative of The House Concert, stated, "The saxophone was initially used in classical music, but it has become familiar as an instrument in jazz and popular music. Through the resident musician program, we aim to highlight the diverse aspects of this instrument."