Hyeyung Sol Yoon, violin

Before there was SF there was:

I moved to the states from South Korea when I was 7 and lived in Queens, NY before moving to Charlotte, NC where my parents started a dry cleaning business. They just retired after more than 30 years. After graduating from my undergrad studies at The Juilliard School, I joined the Chiara Quartet and moved to Grand Forks, ND for two years doing Chamber Music America’s Rural Residency Program that sent out young small ensembles to live in rural communities all over the United States. The quartet then went to NYC for a mentoring residency with the Juilliard String Quartet at The Juilliard School, then moved to Lincoln, NE for a 13 year residency at the University of Nebraska. After Chiaras, there was a brief stint in NJ, but now living in the East Bay. I think I’ll stay put for a while. 

Why Music?

My parents fell in love with western classical music when they were teenagers in the aftermath of the Korean War. I think it was a way to broaden their world but also, in a way, to express their hope for a democratic Korea (based on western ideals) while living under a repressive regime (ironically set up by the west but it was such a complicated situation). Listening and engaging with it by singing and playing the piano was a form of resistance for my parents. Korean folk music was also important to my father, and he introduced me to it when I was young. It wasn’t until later in my life when I learned that folk music was used by students during protests against the government to communicate struggles and ideals to the minjung (ordinary people). Music and being a musician gives me hope, joy, community, and it connects me to my parents and the ones I love in my life. 

Coffee or tea?

While the rest of the quartet drinks coffee, I do not, and I think I’ll go through the roof with that much caffeine in my system. I love great green teas. Some of my favorites right now are dragonwell, milk oolong, and genmaicha. 

What is your go-to comfort food?

Ssul Lung Tang, Korean bone broth soup. It’s a white creamy broth with pieces of marrow and bone, and Koreans put rice in the soup to eat it as a full meal. Most Korean restaurants in the U.S. serve this dish, but there are only a few who can really do it right! 

What is an activity you like to do with your children?

Eat chocolate.