Violist Sunghee Choi was appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in September of 2015 by Music Director Riccardo Muti.
A native of South Korea, she made her solo debut with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12. She also appeared as soloist with the Sunhwa Symphony Orchestra. After graduating from Seoul National University, she continued her studies at New England Conservatory where she obtained her master’s degree and graduate diploma. Later she studied with Choong-Jin Chang and Arnold Steinhardt at Rutgers University where she won the Rutgers Symphony Concerto Competition. Choi has won numerous other accolades while studying in the U.S., including the Kumho Young Artists Award, Korean-American Young Artists Competition and Nanpa Awards for Strings. Choi is currently a member of Beaubliss Quartet with whom she won the Plowman Chamber Music Competition in 2009.
Choi has appeared at a number of music festivals throughout the U.S. including the Beethoven Institute at New School, Sarasota Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz Institute, Spoleto Festival, as well as appearing in Europe at the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland and Music Alps in France.
Prior to joining the CSO, Choi was a member of Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra for two years and the Grant Park Orchestra for five years. She has also performed with New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and served as principal violist of New York Classical Players.
