Shiyeon Sung

‘The Korean conductor begins Maurice Ravel’s classic in the utmost, almost inaudible pianissimo, skilfully using the sensitive acoustics of the Isarphilharmonie together with the BR Symphony Orchestra. She then emphasised the jazzy moments, at a tight tempo, but always with a sensitive sound. Musical impact and precise detail: this conducting balancing act characterises the entire programme…’ (Süddeutsche Zeitung, 24/11/2023)

The South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung is a real trailblazer of her profession. She is the first female conductor out of South Korea to make the leap to the podium of internationally renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since 2023, she has been the Auckland Philharmonia’s Principal Guest Conductor.

Orchestras and artistic partners alike value her wealth of experience on all continents, a strong international network and a wide-ranging repertoire that also includes contemporary music. Artistically, she is characterised by her considerate way of working with an eye for detail and a clear musical vision, a strong conducting technique, passion and poise. Shiyeon Sung is able to lead as well as inspire, and conducts ‘with an elusive elegance, a sense of lightness, brightness and friendliness’ (Abendzeitung, 24/11/2023).

When she was appointed assistant conductor at the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007, her reputation as one of the most exciting emerging talents on the international music circuit was already secure: shortly before, Shiyeon Sung had won the International Conductors’ Competition Sir Georg Solti and the Gustav Mahler Conductors’ Competition in Bamberg. During her three-year tenure in Boston, she began a close collaboration with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2009, the orchestra established an associate conductor’s position especially for her, which she held until 2013. She was chief conductor of the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra from 2014 to 2017, during which time she led the orchestra to international success. After her departure from Gyeonggi, Shiyeon Sung relocated to Berlin where she now resides, but remains a popular guest in her home country and regularly returns to the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and other Korean orchestras.

The list of orchestras that Shiyeon Sung has worked with since then is remarkable. It includes renowned European orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition, she appeared as guest conductor at the Teatro Colón and the Stockholm Opera.

Shiyeon Sung’s 2024/25 season kicks off with the season opening of the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla. A special highlight of the season will be the joint European tour with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra with three concerts at the Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg, Festspielhaus Bregenz, Herkulessaal Munich, Cankarjev Dom Ljubljana and Hasselt in Belgium. Following her successful debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in December 2022 and five joint concerts in February 2024, she will return to the orchestra in spring 2025. She will also make her debuts with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, the Bremer Philharmoniker and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra amongst others, and return to the Oviedo Filármonia, the Orquesta de València and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife. In South Korea, she will be conducting again at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, one of the most renowned promoters of classical music in Asia.

Born in Pusan, South Korea, Shiyeon Sung won various prizes as a pianist in youth competitions. From 2001 to 2006, she studied orchestral conducting with Rolf Reuter at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and continued her education with advanced conducting studies with Jorma Panula at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

2024/25 season