Ik-Hwan Bae facts for kids

Ik-Hwan Bae (born November 19, 1956 – died July 24, 2014) was a talented concert violinist. He was born in Seoul, South Korea, but later became an American citizen. He started playing the violin at a very young age.

When he was just 12 years old, Ik-Hwan Bae played with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. This was his first professional performance. He later moved to New York City to study music. He went to the famous High School of Performing Arts. He also studied at the Juilliard School, a top music college. After graduating, he performed in many concerts. He traveled to major cities in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

A Musician's Journey: Ik-Hwan Bae's Career

Ik-Hwan Bae won several important awards for his music. In 1985, he received second prize at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels. This is a very respected competition for musicians. The year before, in 1984, he also won a prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Playing Chamber Music

Bae loved playing chamber music. This is music played by a small group of musicians. He took part in many famous chamber music festivals around the world. He traveled to places like Seoul and even Alaska for these festivals. For 13 years, he was the artistic director of Bargemusic Ltd. This group presents chamber music concerts in New York City.

Leading an Orchestra

One of his later projects was leading the Hwaum Chamber Orchestra in South Korea. This was a special string orchestra that played without a conductor. He led them on tours to places like Krakow, Poland and Puerto Rico.

Teaching and Judging

Ik-Hwan Bae was also a respected teacher. Many people wanted to learn from him. He taught at several well-known music schools. These included the Peabody Institute and the Manhattan School of Music. He also taught at the Korean National Institute for the Arts. He gave special classes called masterclasses to students all over the world.

From 1999 until he passed away in 2014, he taught at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He also helped judge music competitions. He was a jury member for the Munich ARD competition in Germany. He also judged the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark. And he was a judge for the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition in London.