Hyeji Bak
Hyeji Bak has been globally highlighted as a percussionist attractive to audiences, as she becomes the first Korean who not only won a first prize of the percussion section in the Geneva International Music Competition which was held 10 years after the previous competition, but also swept six Special Prizes for the first time in the history of Geneva International Music Competition, including Audience Prize, Young Audience Prize, Students Prize, Yamaha Young Artists Scolarship, Concerts de Jussy Prize and even Bergerault Marimba Prize. In addition, she won the 1st prize and three special prizes including Recording Prize, Public Prize and Best Performance set Concerto in The Universal Marimba Competition, the 1st prize of Sparda Classic Awards, the 3rd prize of International Percussion Competition at Northwestern and the 2nd prize of August-Everding Music Competition in Munich.
In April 2021, Hyeji Bak performed 'Speaking Drum' composed by Péter Eötvös, as the Korean premiere, together with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra led by Osmo Vänskä in the LOTTE Concert Hall, to introduce the charm of percussion to Korea. She also collaborated with famous conductors such as Julien Leroy, Li Biao, Jaejoon Lee, Hongsik Kim, Narah Chung, etc. Moreover, she has continued the collaboration with orchestras representing for Europe and Korea, including Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Ensemble Quodlibet, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Jeju Chamber Orchestra and Daegu Prodigy Youth Orchestra.
As an active soloist, she has been also invited to globally renown festivals such as Festival de Pau, International Percussion Ensemble Week(IPEW), The 50th Anniversary of the Kolberg Festival and Percussion PULSE 2020 held by The Royal Danish Academy of Music, as well as the recital held by Cathédrale Sainte-Croix des Arméniens and recitals held in Jussy and Geneva in Swiss and Paris in France. She distinguished herself on the domestic stages including Seoul Arts Center, LOTTE Concert Hall, Suseong Artpia, Daegu Conert House, etc. She has thus extended her internal and external sphere of activity.
Hyeji Bak is scheduled to meet audiences on many global stages, by conducting a variety of performances such as the collaboration with orchestras, recitals and even ensembles. She will be visited to Festival Classique des Haudères, a recital held in Uzès France, Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra and the stage for the percussion ensemble and the collaboration with NDR Percussion, but also performed the Percussion Concerto composed by Michael Jarrell as the Swiss premiere, together with Geneva Chamber Orchestra in Swiss. In addition, She plans to perform a recital held by Seoul Arts Center.
Hyeji Bak, who began to study percussion when she was 15 years old, completed the master's course and the supreme performer's program in Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, after graduating from Seoul National University and studied under Gyeonghwan Choi and Marta Klimasara.
