Tiny Titan of the Stage

A short and petite figure, so slight her feet barely makeing a sound on the floor, takes the stage. As soon as her bow touches the strings, the audience holds its breath. It seems her bow is possessed with infinite energy that courses through the seats and touches the core of the audience¡¯s soul. A shiver runs through her entire body, an indescribably moving experience. This is the effect violinist Park Ji-hae has when onstage. Her energy is not only powerful, but has a grace that brings the room to silence. It¡¯s a question often asked by those who have seen Park¡¯s performances: where does that energy come from?

Park was raised by a mother who was also a violinist, and gained a place at the Mainz Konservatorium at the tender age of 14-years-old. She studied as a national scholar of Germany at Indiana University Bloomington, and received a full scholarship from the German government for the Konzert Examen course at the renowned University of Music Karlsruhe. She became the first Korean to hold a solo concert at the season opening at Carnegie Hall, and has given a TED Talk, too. She was given the highest honor as a classical musician when the German government provided her with a violin made by Pietro Guarneri (1655-1720), a true treasure and an instrument of national prestige, which she used from 2003 to 2014. She was granted the violin loan for having won a competition in which the Guarneri instrument was the prize.

Currently, she has been provided with a 1,735-year-old Guarneri for life, thanks to a Chinese sponsor. This has been enough for people to give her the label ¡°genius violinist,¡± but Park herself graciously turns down this title. ¡°I practiced at least 16 hours a day. My mother would ask me to stop, saying that people around me would get exhausted by hearing all of that.¡±
She adds that a true genius violinist might be offended if they knew her flattering title. ¡°I¡¯m not a genius, but I have talent passed down to me by my mother, and the ability to work hard.¡± With passion, diligence and modesty, Park Ji-hae is truly a tiny titan of the stage.

A Low Echo to Break Down Barriers

There¡¯s a saying that says that ¡°soft and fair goes far.¡± It means that with good and true intentions, even small beginnings can lead to greatness. This is true of Park¡¯s journey as a musician. She overcame a period of deep depression by holding pro bono performances for the less privileged. On the South Korean national holiday of Hangeul Day, Oct. 9, a few years ago, she became the first musician to play atop the peak of Dokdo Island, promoting the nation of Korea with a classical arrangement of the folk song ¡°Arirang.¡± In 2014, she was invited to a press conference as the main artist after cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and journalists from over 60 mainstream media outlets competed to interview her, showing their overwhelming response to her performances. She was invited for a full hour onto ¡°Das!¡± a popular German talk show, in July. There, she expressed her hopes for peace, both on the Korean Peninsula and all around the world, all while playing the folk song ¡°Arirang.¡± This was the beginning of her Peace Revolution Concert Series. It¡¯s a large-scale project where the folk song ¡°Arirang¡± will be played together with classical music, embodying a message of peace and accompanied by commentary in English, German and Korean, at important sites around the world, including at the Berlin Wall in Leipzig, at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and in the city of Geneva. The concert series is drawing attention because of the participation of the Peaceful Revolution Foundation of Leipzig, where the Berlin Wall began to collapse. ¡°I hope my performance has a positive impact on taking the world in a good direction. This is why I continue to hold the violin. I don¡¯t have any grand ambition. When I hear from someone that they were comforted by my performance, I realize that my music could be of help to somebody. The Peace Revolution Concert is simply broadening the scope of that ¡®somebody¡¯ who I hope to help.¡±

On the brightly lit stage, her music becomes light of its own, brightening all the corners of the world upon which it touches. Though gentle and soft, her music is moved by the truest of intentions, one that promises to travel far. Even now, she is warming the world little by little, with her love expressed during her performances.

Beautiful Solitude

Park Ji-hae has been performing for many years and will continue to perform on the world¡¯s most prestigious classical stages this year. She has 180 concerts planned this year, which comes down to one performance every two days. However, she doesn¡¯t seem overwhelmed at all.

Her performances this year included the Arirang Series as honorary ambassador for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a concert at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie together with Lang Lang, and the first performance of all movements of Vivaldi¡¯s ¡°Four Seasons¡± in a rock ¡®n¡¯ roll arrangement. The first part of the performance was played like classical music, and the second part showed an interpretation as a rock ¡®n¡¯ roll version. This had never been attempted before by anyone. The audience response was impassioned, with five curtain calls and a five-member band was formed with Park as its star, too. The diverse and novel efforts she makes to bring the world of classical music closer to the ordinary public is quite impressive. ¡°Arranging is a very important process, as it¡¯s an opportunity for the audience to actually ¡®feel¡¯ what classical music is like. This work also keeps me strong. It allows me to stay true to my essence as a musician.¡±

Although 2018 has already been a hugely eventful year for Park, her schedule doesn¡¯t let her take any breaks. On top of the Peace Revolution Concerts, she also holds performances in China, Germany, in the U.S. cities of Atlanta and Boston, and in Switzerland, too, along with a complete North American tour. Despite her busy schedule, she is grateful that her music is being delivered to so many people, all around the world. It¡¯s probably this attitude that makes her a true musician that comforts the soul.

She has always held her violin tight, at every moment since she was young, and she used to wonder, ¡°Why don¡¯t I have any friends?¡± She realized that she always chose to be alone. People often ask me whether it gets lonely. When I¡¯m playing the violin, though, that means there¡¯s always someone listening to my music, whether it¡¯s a practice or an actual performance. Why would I be lonely when there¡¯s always an audience?¡±

Although she is uncomfortable with over-the-top labels, there is one that she hopes to hear, which embodies a long held dream. ¡°I would like to be a ¡®Korean national musician.¡¯ I believe that musicians like Dvořák, Chopin or Rachmaninoff were able to create music that was unique and close to the true nature of humanity because they brought the true love for their countries into their music. I want to be a violinist who creates music containing the essence of Koreaness, all with this precious Guarneri violin.¡±
Park Ji-hae¡¯s solitude is truly a beautiful and sacred choice, all of her own.

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• Park Ji-hae Profile

  
  2018 Honorary ambassador for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games
  
  2014 ~ 2015 Universal Music Korea Double Golden Disc achievement
  
  2014 Korean Art and Cultural Award, Music Category
  
  2012 Soloist at the Opening Ceremony for Expo 2012 Yeosu
  
  2011 Outstanding Korean Personality Award First Korean to hold solo concert at Carnegie Hall¡¯s season opening week
  
  2007 ZIRP Fellowship from the Rheinland-Pfalz Cultural Initiative
  
  2006~2008 Top honors graduate, KA course, University of Music Karlsruhe (Advisor Prof. Ulf Hoelscher) Performance Diploma, Indiana University Bloomington (Advisor Prof. Jaime Laredo) Top honors graduate, Konzert Examen, University of Music Karlsruhe
  
  2004 Grand prize at the Pisendel Competition, Dresden
  
  2001 Ivan Galamian Prize, Meadowmount School of Music, U.S.
  
  1999 Became the youngest student of Mainz Konservatorium at age 14