South Korean violinist Jinjoo Cho – first prizewinner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Concours musical international de Montréal, and more – joins Emerald City Music for our first-ever full length concert for only the solo violin. Three vastly different works bring into vision a “circle of life” narrative. Beginning with the wandering mysteriousness of Biber’s Passacaglia – one of the world’s oldest surviving solo violin works – the night gives way to Bach’s stately Chaconne, widely considered the apogee of violin repertoire. Juri Seo’s Toy Store – a multimedia work dedicated to Jinjoo Cho – is not music for children, but rather a reflective journey through the various experiences of childhood that live on in our minds as adults. Drawing inspiration from punk jazz, John Adams, 19th century presto movements, and video game music, the first movement, “Jack-in-the-Box," is a dramatic portrayal of surprise, humor, and obsession as experienced in a childlike mind. The second movement, "Monster Truck”, combines heavy metal and 18th century Chaconne to create a musical narrative that is at once violent and hilarious. “Mobile," explores the feelings of comfort and fear associated with falling asleep, as one experiences a taste of death. In the penultimate movement, "Roller Skates,” resolution begins to take shape as the violin and prerecorded track participate in multi-part canonic unison. Finally in “Bubbles,” the ethereal soundscape of pizzicati, harmonics, and tremolo evokes lightness and release.
A charismatic soloist, dynamic chamber musician, dedicated teacher, artistic director, and published writer, South Korean violinist Jinjoo Cho is a versatile classical virtuoso of the 21st Century. 1st Prize Winner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and Concours musical international de Montréal in addition to Buenos Aires, Schoenfeld, and Stulberg Competitions, Jinjoo has toured on concert stages around the world since the age of 11. Today, she continues to perform at distinguished concert halls and festivals including the Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Aspen Music Festival, Gilmore Festival, La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest (USA), Banff Centre, Festival de Lanaudière (Canada), La Seine Musicale, Aigues-Vives Music Festival (France), Kronberg Academy, Schwetzingen Festspiele, Herkulessaal (Germany), Teatro Colón (Argentina), and Seoul Arts Center (Korea).
Jinjoo appears as soloist with leading orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Deutsche Radio Philharmonic, Orquesta Clásica Santa Cecilia de Madrid, Ensemble Appassionato, Seoul Philharmonic, North Carolina, Phoenix, and Charlotte Symphonies, collaborating with renowned conductors such as James Gaffigan, Kent Nagano, JoAnn Falletta, Mathieu Herzog, Peter Oundjian, Michael Stern, Tito Munoz, Michael Francis, Moritz Gnann, Karina Canellakis, Shi-Yeon Sung, Pietari Inkinen, and Clemens Schuldt. As a chamber musician, Jinjoo has shared the stage with prominent artists of the globe such as Vadim Gluzman, Itamar Golan, Roger Tapping, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, Clive Greensmith, and Ettore Causa. In 2021, Jinjoo formed Trio Seoul with pianist Kyu Yeon Kim and cellist Brannon Cho.
Jinjoo is the founding Artistic Director of ENCORE Chamber Music Institute (501(c)(3)non-profit) and an Assistant Professor of Violin at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. She previously served as faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin Conservatory. Most recently, Jinjoo has been invited as a jury member at important international competitions such as the Indianapolis (USA, 2022) and Schoenfeld (China, 2024) competitions, and as a screening committee member of the Montréal (Canada, 2019/2023) and Premio Paganini (Italy, 2023) competitions. Jinjoo’s dedication to nurturing the next generation of young musicians stems directly from the influence of her teachers Paul Kantor and Jaime Laredo.
Jinjoo is deeply passionate about sharing her love of music, in whatever form that it takes. Her creative explorations range from commissioning new works by composers Juri Seo and Andrew Rindfleisch to collaborating with artists of other disciplines including choreographer Jinyeob Cha. A consummate recording artist, Jinjoo has produced 4 albums: Saint-Saëns (2021, Naïve Classique), La Capricieuse (2020, SONY Classical), The Indianapolis Commissions (2018, Azica), and Jinjoo Cho (2007, Analekta). Described as “a delectable curtain-raiser” (Strad Magazine) and “finest silk thread of a violin tone” (Rondo Magazine), the albums have garnered critical acclaim worldwide as well as commercial success. In 2021, Jinjoo’s first book, Would I Shine Someday, was listed as a best seller on major book platforms in Korea.
