Violinist Lee Ji-yoon named bandmaster of Staatskapelle Berlin

Violinist Lee Ji-yoon has been appointed as a bandmaster of Staatskapelle Berlin, the prestigious symphony orchestra in Germany.

The Kumho Asiana Culture Foundation said that Lee was chosen as a bandmaster in the final audition, where the orchestra’s musical director Daniel Barenboim attended on Tuesday (local time).

Lee will start roles as bandmaster from September when the 2017-2018 season will kick off, and whether she will become the orchestra’s lifetime member will be determined two years later. Staatskapelle Berlin has a team of four bandmasters, and Lee is the youngest among them. Founded in 1570, Staatskapelle Berlin has had a number of world-renowned conductors including Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan, who was succeeded by Barenboim in 1992.

Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com