Myung-Whun Chung began his musical career as a pianist, making his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of seven.  In 1974 he won second prize at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow.  After his musical studies at the Mannes School and Juilliard School in New York, he was appointed Carlo Maria Giulini’s assistant in 1979 at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and became Associate Conductor two years later.

He was Music Director of the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1984-1990, Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Comunale of Florence from 1987-1992 and Music Director of the Opéra de Paris-Bastille from 1989-1994.  The year 2000 marked his return to Paris as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.  His love for Italy has been at the basis of his extensive work in that country for many years, including, from 1997-2005, his position as Principal Conductor of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome.  He also appears regularly at the Teatro La Fenice, most recently for Verdi’s Otello.  In Germany, he became Principal Guest Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden at the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, the first conductor to hold the post in the history of the orchestra.  Outside Europe, he is increasingly committed to musical and social causes in Asia through his role as Music Advisor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and, from 2006, Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Myung-Whun Chung has conducted virtually all the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, the Concertgebouworkest, all the major London and Parisian orchestras, Filharmonica della Scala, Bayerische Rundfunk, Dresden Staatskapelle, the Boston and Chicago Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras. 

An exclusive recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon since 1990, many of his numerous recordings have won international prizes and awards. Recent releases include Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony and Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with the Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, as well as Mahler’s Symphony no.2, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’ Symphony and a Beethoven disc, all with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

Myung-Whun Chung has been the recipient of many honours and prizes for his artistic work, including the Premio Abbiati and the Arturo Toscanini prize in Italy and the Légion d’Honneur (1992) in France. In 1991, the Association of French Theatres and Music Critics named him ‘Artist of the Year’ and in 1995 he won the ‘Victoire de la Musique’ prize three times.  He was named a Commandeur dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2011.

Deeply sensitive to humanitarian and ecological problems of our age, Myung-Whun Chung has devoted an important part of his life to these causes.  In 1994 he launched a series of musical and environmental projects in Korea for youth.  He served as Ambassador for the Drug Control Program at the United Nations (UNDCP); in 1995, he was named ‘Man of the year’ by UNESCO and also ‘Most Distinguished Personality’ by the Korean press association.  In 1996, he received the ‘Kumkuan’, the highest cultural award of the Korean government for his contribution to Korean musical life.  Myung-Whun Chung now serves as Honorary Cultural Ambassador for Korea, the first in the Korean government’s history. In 2008, he was designated the first conductor named as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

As the embodiment of musicality, violinist Kyoko Takezawa electrifies audiences with a richness of playing, a virtuosic confidence of feeling, and a fiery intensity that establishes her as one of today’s foremost violinists. Ms. Takezawa’s interpretive insight and indisputable talent have made her a sought-after soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras.

Ms. Takezawa has performed as soloist with such prominent ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, and the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Cleveland, Baltimore, Saint Louis, Houston, Toronto, Dallas, Montreal, Detroit and Cincinnati. Abroad, she has been heard with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the London Symphony, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestra National de Radio France, Lyon and also Nice, the NHK Symphony, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic. She has collaborated with many distinguished conductors, including Seiji Ozawa, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Leonard Slatkin, Charles Dutoit, Marek Janowski and Sir Andrew Davis. She has performed at major venues around the world, notably Carnegie Hall in New York; the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; London’s BBC Proms; Musikverain in Vienna and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

In recent season, Ms. Takezawa has made her debut appearance with Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany, Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan, Spring Festival in Korea, Music in the Vineyard Festival, Santa Fe Festival, Music @ Menlo Festival and Saratoga Spring Festival in USA. Also she was the jury member of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Concours international Marguerite-Long-Jacques-Thibaud, Sendai International Competition and the International Wieniawski Violin Competition, Menuhin Violin Competition.

In past seasons, she has performed with the Vancouver Symphony , the West Australian Symphony , the Amarillo Symphony and in Finland with the Kymi Sinfonietta, in Japan with the Kanagawa Philharmonic, Osaka Century Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, in North America with the St. Louis, Tucson and Jacksonville, Charlotte, Toronto and Seattle Symphonies. She also performed with the China Philharmonic, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Japan Philharmonic, Singapore, Guangzhou, NHK Sym. Tokyo Metropolitan Sym., Tokyo City Phil. in Asia, Denmark’s Aarhus Symphony, France’s Orchestre National de Lille, and Manchester’s Halle Orchestra. She also appeared as the feature soloist on the Hamburg NDR Symphony tour of Japan.

A highly accomplished chamber music performer, Ms. Takezawa has participated in the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival , the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival and the Casals Festival in Prades., Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival. Also she has been a regular guest for the La Folle Journee Festival in Japan. Ms. Takezawa’s chamber music performances have drawn high praise, and as co-director of the Suntory Festival Soloists of Suntory Hall in Tokyo, she has collaborated with Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Joseph Suk and many other distinguished artists.

A prolific recording artist, she has just released her most recent CD which she performed all Brahms’s Violin Sonatas with pianist Itamar Golan by Sony Music Japan. Other recordings are heard on BMG’s RCA Victor Red Seal label, a recital CD titled ‘Romanza’ which she performed short pieces, performances of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14, by Samuel Barber with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Elgar Violin Concerto with Sir Colin Davis and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; the Violin Concerto No.2 by Barto´k with Michael Tilson Thomas and the London Symphony; and the Mendelssohn Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 with Klaus Peter Flor and the Bamberg Symphony. Ms. Takezawa’s CD of French violin sonatas was selected as one of the best recordings of 1993 by Stereo Review.

Ms. Takezawa has numerous television credits includes ‘Concerto!’ the program which she performed Bartok’s Second Violin Concerto guided by Dudley Moor by BBC channel 4, morning show by A&E and two hour documentary program by TV Aichi in Japan.

Ms. Takezawa began violin studies at the age of 3 and at 7 toured the United States, Canada and Switzerland as a member of the Suzuki Method Association. In 1982 she placed first in the 51st Annual Japan Music Competition, and at 17 she entered the Aspen Music School to study with Dorothy DeLay, with whom Ms. Takezawa continued to study at The Juilliard School until graduating in 1989. In 1986 she was awarded the Gold Medal at the Second Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. As a educator she is on the faculty of Toho Music School in Japan. Most recently, she received the prestigious Idemitsu Award for outstanding musicianship and Aichi Art Cultural Award.

Jian Wang began to study the cello with his father when he was four. While a student at the Shanghai Conservatoire, he was featured in the celebrated documentary film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China. In 1981, at 12 years old, Jian made his professional debut playing the Saint Saens cello concerto with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Music Hall. In 1985, with Mr Stern's encouragement, he entered the Yale School of Music under a special programme where he studied with the renowned cellist Aldo Parisot.

As a soloist, Jian Wang has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, Chicago, Boston and Detroit Symphonies, , London Symphony, the Halle, the BBC orchestras, Zurich Tonhalle, Gothenburg Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic, Santa Cecilia, La Scala, Mahler Chamber, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Czech Philhamonic, and NHK Symphony. These concerts have been with many of the greatest conductors, such as Abbado, Sawallisch, Jarvi, Chailly, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Chung, Gilbert and Gustavo Dudamel. Jian Wang also collaborates frequently with all the major Chinese Orchestras, including Shanghai Symphony, China Philharmonic, China NCPA orchestra, China National orchestra, Guangzhou, Shenzhen symphony orchestras and Hangzhou Philharmonic. These concerts have been with one of his closest musical partners Long Yu, as well as Muhai Tang, Chen Zuo Huang, Lu Jia, Zhang Guo Yong, Yang Yang, Xu Zhong, Lin Da Ye, Jing Huan and Zhang Jie Ming. Jian Wang was appointed as the first ever Artist in Residence by the China National Center for Performing Arts, also by the Shanghai Symphony orchestra. As a jury member, Jian Wang has judged many of the most important competitions, including the Tchaikovsky cello competition, the Queen Elizabeth cello competition, the Weiniawsky Violin Competition, the Isaac Stern violin competition and the Nielsen violin competition. Jian Wang now serves as the International Chair of the Cello for the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He also serves as a member of Artistic committee for the Shanghai Symphony and Hangzhou Philharmonic. Since 2022, Jian Wang is a cello professor at the Shanghai Conservatory.

Jian Wang has made many recordings, his latest releases being the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Sydney Symphony and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He has also recorded an album of short pieces for Cello and Guitar titled Reverie, the complete Bach Cello Suites and a Baroque Album with the Camerata Salzburg, Brahms Double Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Claudio Abbado and Gil Shaham, the Haydn Concerti with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Muhai Tang, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time (with Myung-Whun Chung, Gil Shaham and Paul Meyer) and Brahms, Mozart and Schumann chamber music with Pires and Dumay. His instrument is graciously loaned to him by the family of the late Mr. Sau-Wing Lam.

Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8

Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 , 'In Memory of a Great Artist'