LEE Seung-hee

The two-stringed, spiked fiddle is one of the most ubiquitous musical legacies of mankind, and Its local variant in Korea is “Haegeum.” It is believed that the Haegeum came to Korea by way of China during the Koryo period (792-1392) and is related to the Chinese Huqin, ("Haegeum" being the Sino-Korean translation of "Huqin"). Despite their common ancestor, Haegeum retained much of its authentic form and sound, while Chinese Huqin later evolved into the modern instrument Erhu, which now uses a western style bow and is played with vibrato like a violin.
Despite its simple construction, Haegeum is notoriously difficult to learn and a true master of Haegeum might appear only once in a generation. LEE Seung-hee is now on her way to achieve this goal. Beginning her career in performance in 1993, LEE Seung-hee has concertized widely throughout Korea as well as participating in numerous international festivals and competitions, including the Festival Urban + Aboriginal XVI (Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Utrecht, and Amsterdam), Kajin Hoesang (presented as part of Germany’s Festival auf Korea) and in the USA at the University of North Texas. Since 2002, she has been a member of the innovative Korean Traditional Ensemble, Jeong Ga Ak Hoe.
Seung-hee’s critically acclaimed recordings of the Ji Yeong-Hee Haegeum Julpungnyu established her place in a distinguished lineage of Ji Yong-gu (1862 -?), the founder of the modern Haegeum Sanjo. It is no exaggeration to say that SeungHee Lee is a distinguished representative of the spirit of modern Kagok – both for her reverence of tradition and tireless advocacy of contemporary music. Her scholarship and spontaneity open exciting new vistas for the future of Korean music.