Two Young Artists Make UGA Presents Debuts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Yeol Eum Son

When the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra returns to Hodgson Concert Hall Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m., it will have two stunning young artists in tow. Virtuosic young pianist Yeol Eum Son is the soloist in Benjamin Britten's cheeky Piano Concerto from 1938. The conductor is Dmitry Matvienko, who will also lead one of the most beloved pieces of orchestral music, Rachmaninov's Second Symphony, with its famously lush slow movement.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

YEOL EUM SON, piano

Yeol Eum Son, born in Wonju, South Korea in 1986, received her first piano lessons at the age of three-and-a-half. She was among the prize winners at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 1997 and won the Oberlin International Piano Competition two years later. Son studied at the Korea National University of Arts and continued her training with Professor Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannov

Son attracted international attention when she secured second prize and the Best Chamber Music Performance at the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition. She underlined her position among the most gifted artists of her generation at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition, where she won the Silver Medal and received the coveted competition’s prizes for Best Chamber Concerto Performance and Best Performance of the Commissioned Work.

Over the past decade Son has achieved global acclaim not least for her interpretations of Mozart’s piano concertos. YouTube video of her performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 at the International Tchaikovsky Competition has been viewed almost 23 million times, thought to be a record figure for any live Mozart work on the platform.

Across the '23-'24 season, Son collaborates once again with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern at home in Germany and on tour in South Korea (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3), Tasmanian Symphony (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3) and Auckland Philharmonia (Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24). Son makes debuts with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Britten Piano Concerto), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20), NAC Orchestra (Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2), West Australian Symphony Orchestra (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3) and Tenerife Symphony (Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3).

DMITRY MATVIENKO, conductor 

Dmitry Matvienko is the winner of the 2021 edition of the prestigious Malko Competition for Young Conductors with the first prize and audience prize. Previously, he was awarded with the critics and the made in Italy prizes at the Guido Cantelli International Conducting Competition.

Matvienko received his first music lessons at the age of six before undergoing a formal training as a chorister and chorus master. He studied choral conducting at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and he was a member of the MusicAeterna Choir at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre under the artistic direction of Teodor Currentzis from 2012 to 2013. In the following years Matvienko studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory and attended master classes of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Vladimir Jurowski, Teodor Currentzis and Vasily Petrenko.

In the '23-'24 season he is awaited for debuts or for a much acclaimed return to the podium of the Danish National Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Arctic Philharmonic, Hensingborg Symphony, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale RAI Torino, Orquestra Gulbenkian, Orchestra Filarmonica Toscanini, Ulster Orchestra, Tonkünstler Wien, and Aarhus Symphony. He makes his USA debut with the Dallas Symphony and his Japan debut with the Tokyo Symphony.

ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Under the leadership of Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that unite, educate, and enrich our community through the engaging and transformative power of orchestral music experiences.

Now in its 79th season, the ASO engages the diverse international community of our city, bringing people together in harmony — including our youngest citizens, with extensive opportunities for youth and families to fall in love with music. 

Two hallmark education programs celebrate anniversaries this season: the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra celebrates 50 years, and the Talent Development Program — one of the longest-running musical education diversity programs in the country — turns 30.

The orchestra’s range and depth are featured in more than 150 concerts each year, including the flagship Delta Classical Series, Movies in Concert, Family Concerts, Coca-Cola Holiday series and many community and education concerts. The ASO presents many vibrant, wide-ranging events and artists through its Delta Atlanta Symphony Hall Live presentations. Outside of the concert hall, the ASO’s Behind the Curtain video concert series enables the orchestra to reach audiences beyond city limits.

PERFORMANCE TALK

Join us for a free pre-performance talk by Naomi Graber in Ramsey Concert Hall from 2:15-2:45 pm.

SUPPORTED BY

The Kleiner Foundation

BUYING TICKETS IS EASY

Securing tickets for UGA Presents performances and other events couldn’t be easier. There are three ways to choose from:

1. Purchase tickets online 24/7 at pac.uga.edu.

2. Call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (706) 542-4400, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

3. Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (5 minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.