South Korean Soyoung Yoon, who is hailed by many critics as one of the world-famous violinists, will dazzle Istanbulities with a concert in cooperation with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra under the conduct of veteran conductor Rengim Gökmen on Jan. 13.

The orchestra will take the stage with Giovanni Battista Guadagnini's 1773-made violin as the Italian luthier is regarded as one of the finest craft workers of string instruments in history. Yoon will accompany the orchestra in the violin concerto, interpreting one of Jean Sibelius' romantic masterpieces.

The world-renowned classical music magazine "Gramophone" praised Yoon as "meticulous ... extremely disciplined," while the British newspaper Guardian mentioned her as someone who is "always at the service of music with her technical excellence."

Yoon performed as a soloist with the world's leading orchestras such as the National Symphony, Prague Philharmonic, Bilbao Orchestra Sinfonkioa, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Russian National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony and Bern Symphony.

With many accolades under her name in major competitions including Yehudi Menuhin (1st prize), Henryk Wieniawski (1st prize) and Indianapolis (silver medal) violin competitions, Soyoung is a violinist of the highest caliber and performing chamber music in the world of classical music, earning the respect of many audiophiles.

Soyoung Yoon, who is admired and followed by a wide audience in Türkiye because of her incredible talent and achievements, defines herself as: "I am from South Korea and started playing the violin at 5. Currently, I am living in Barcelona and performing mostly in Europe and Asia. I am a violinist who likes to play video games, enjoy life and explore."

For her, classical music and the violin are an inseparable part of her life. "Music has been with me almost my entire life," she shared.

As she performs with at least 300-year-old violins that came by the hands of master luthiers such as Stradivarius and Guadagnini, beyond being a mere performance instrument her violins mean so much to her. "This is a true love-and-hate relationship. Sometimes I love them very much and sometimes I don't," she said explaining her relationship with her violin.

As she plays many masterpieces in her performances, she said: "I love listening to symphonies. One of my favorite symphonies is 'Piano Concerto No. 2' by Sergei Rachmaninoff. In terms of performance, I would say 'The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires' by Astor Piazzolla because it is just so much fun to play and every single time I enjoy entirely being on the stage with the Piazzolla."

She took the stage many times in Türkiye such as in Antalya, Izmir and Ankara with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra at CSO ADA Ankara.

"Türkiye is undoubtedly a very special country for me. My very first performance in Türkiye was in 2006, Bursa. Back then it was a mind-blowing experience for me to learn the Turkish culture and meet people who were warm and very kind. I devoured delicious food and was impressed by the hospitality. I am enthralled whenever I am in Türkiye," she said.

The artist shared her excitement as she will perform with the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra at Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), one of the most active and well-established art centers in Istanbul. "I have performed twice with the state orchestra and we had wonderful concerts and memories together. I am very much looking forward to it once again."

Yoon is quite famous for her performances of Sibelius, who was Finland's greatest composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. The artist will also perform works by Sibelius In her Istanbul concert.

"Sibelius is absolutely one of my favorite artists but I have to admit that it is a challenge every single time. In his concerto, there is everything. As you know that Sibelius himself wanted to be a violinist, so you could imagine how much love he put into this concerto. Magical melodies and brutal technics are perfectly balanced. It is an absolute masterpiece," she elaborated on her admiration for the great artist.

Touching upon her performances on many prestigious stages around the world, Yoon said: "Well, every performance is exciting but if I have to choose one, I would say the concert in Carnegie Hall."

She inspires many young artist candidates with her talent and achievements. For those who want to pursue the same path, Yoon recommended: "Becoming a musician needs lots of patience. I almost feel that you are the winner because you have been so patient in the end. So keep going, work hard and be patient."

Yoon will take the stage in Antalya and Bursa in March and April as she looks forward to her performances in Türkiye.