Yumi Hwang-Williams began violin studies at the age of ten in Philadelphia, one year after emigrating from South Korea. At fifteen, she appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and was accepted as a student of Jascha Brodsky and Yumi Ninomiya-Scott at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Today, her exceptional musicianship has earned her a reputation as an artist who, in addition to her thoughtful and stylish interpretations of the classics, is known for her commitment to exploring and performing the works of contemporary composers. Strings magazine’s January 2008 edition features her in its cover article, describing her as a ‘Modern Prometheus’ who has ‘emerged as a fiery champion of contemporary classical music’. Her interpretations of works by Aaron Jay Kernis, Michael Daugherty and Christopher Rouse have earned unreserved approval from the composers as well as critical acclaim. In the summer of 2007, she was soloist in a performance of Thomas Adès’ violin concerto, Concentric Paths, at the Cabrillo Festival in Santa Cruz with Marin Alsop on the podium. She has performed Isang Yun’s Violin Concerto No 1 with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland with Dennis Russell Davies conducting and will play the concerto again with the Bruckner Orchester, Linz in October 2009.

She has performed with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Santa Rosa and Fort Collins with conductors Paavo Jarvi, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Jeffrey Kahane and Wes Kenney, amongst others, and has made numerous solo appearances with the CSO under the batons of Marin Alsop and Peter Oundjian, to name but a few.

Ms Hwang-Williams is an avid chamber musician and recitalist, having collaborated with such artists such as Gary Graffman, Ida Kavafian, Christopher O'Riley, John Kimura Parker, Robert Koenig, and Dennis Russell Davies.

Yumi Hwang-Williams has served as concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra since 2000 and is concertmaster for the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. She has been guest concertmaster for the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa, at the personal invitation of Music Director Pinchas Zukerman. She is a faculty member of the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver.

To learn more about Yumi Hwang-Williams,
visit www.newmanartists.com/yumi/yumi.html.