Guest Artist

Joseph Lim, viola

with Department of Music Visiting Professor of Piano Rira Lim

Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, 1 p.m.

Winifred Smith Hall

Guest Artist and Violist Joseph Lim, member of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a duo concert with his sister and Department of Music Visiting Professor of Piano, Rira Lim. The program will include works by Hummel, Reinecke and the great Sonata in E-flat major by Johannes Brahms.

The recital is free and open to the public.

About the Artists

Joseph Lim, violist

Joseph Lim, a highly regarded professional violist and violinist, has performed recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the USA, Europe and Asia. With a robust performance style and refined musical sensibility, he has made a significant impact in both Europe and South Korea, serving as principal violist in prestigious international festivals, such as Bodensee International Sommerkurs, International Orchestra Academy (Mannbeimmer Schule), Dortmund Russian Music Academy, Hungarian Auer Academy, Poland Nowy Sacz Festival, Gwangju International Music Festival, and Jeonnam International Music Festival. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Romania Oltenia Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.

In South Korea, Lim has been holding annual solo recitals at the Seoul Arts Center's Recital Hall and engaging with audiences in various chamber music performances nationwide. Notably, he has actively contributed to the exploration of new viola repertoire, introducing innovative performances such as the first-ever presentation of Beethoven's complete cello sonatas series arranged for the viola. Lim has also received acclaim for his adaptation of Brahms' complete cello sonatas series for the viola, marking a groundbreaking achievement in Korea.

Lim’s musical training was followed at Maastricht Conservatory (Netherlands), Orchesterzentrum/ NRW, and the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz (Germany) where he received his Diplom and Konzertexamen degree in viola performance. He worked as a member of Staatstheater Mainz Philharmonic Orchestra and served as an adjunct professor of viola and chamber music at the Chonnam National University in South Korea. Since 2005 he has been a member of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Jaap van Zweden.

Rira Lim, pianist

Pianist Rira Lim has concertized throughout Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, and North America. She has extensively performed in recital and chamber music as well as appearing as a soloist with the various orchestras including North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, and Vratza Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed at several international music festivals in the U.S. and Europe, including the Dallas Beethoven Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and the International Weimar Masterkurse. Lim has been recognized with awards in various international piano competitions, including a diploma in the 2004 Wiesbaden International Piano Competition in Germany and first prizes in the 2005 International Symphonic Workshops Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, as well as the University of North Texas concerto competition in 2006-2007. Earning praise for her virtuosity and musical artistry, she released a critically acclaimed CD featuring Gian Francesco Malipiero's major piano works, including a world premiere recording, in 2014 under the Naxos recording label.

Born in Gwangju, South Korea, Lim completed her early musical training at Yonsei University in Seoul before moving to the United States to further her studies and advance her musical career. As a pupil of famed pianist Joseph Banowetz, she earned both the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in piano performance from the University of North Texas.

Since 2013, Lim has served in the Department of Music at Korea National University of Education, where she previously held positions as the director of the Arts Education Research Institute and coordinator of the music department for both undergraduate and graduate programs. She is currently serving as a visiting piano professor at UCI during the academic year 2023-2024.

Discounted Advance Pre-Paid Parking Permits Reserve at least the day before the event.

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