Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 4 pm

Program

JIJI is an adventurous guitarist known for her virtuosity and command of diverse repertoire. Equally at home with both acoustic and electric guitar, her concert programs range from traditional and contemporary classical to free improvisation. In recent seasons, JIJI has presented solo recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall; Lincoln Center; 92nd Street Y; Caramoor; Green Music Center; and the National Art Gallery, among other distinguished venues. Her performances have been featured on PBS (On Stage at Curtis), NPR’s From the Top, WHYY-TV, FOX 4-TV, Munchies (the Vice Channel), The Not So Late Show (Channel 6, Kansas), and Hong Kong broadcast station RTHK’s The Works. In 2016, she became the first guitarist in 30 years to secure first prize in the Concert Artists Guild Competition.

JIJI has premiered solo and chamber works by a diverse range of musical artists, including David Lang, Steven Mackey, Michael Gilbertson, Paul Lansky, Natalie Dietterich, Hilary Purrington, Shelley Washington, Kate Moore, Chris Rountree, Gulli Björnsson, and Molly Joyce. JIJI’s recent chamber and ensemble performances include appearances with the New York Philharmonic’s Nightcap Series; Cuarteto Latinoamericano; the Verona Quartet; Wildup; Duo Linu; and violinist Danbi Um , among others. She has also appeared as a soloist with the American Composers Orchestra; Kansas City Symphony; Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; Sinfonietta Riga; the Augusta Symphony; the Duluth Symphony Orchestra; New West Symphony; New York Youth Symphony; Southwest Michigan Symphony; and more. Over the last five years, JIJI has premiered four major concertos by composers Natalie Dietterich (LIGHT, BELOVED, 2018), Hilary Purrington (Harp of Nerves, 2019), Krists Auznieks (Apvārsnis Kamolā, 2021), and Steven Mackey (Aluminum Flowers, 2024).

She is an Associate Professor of Guitar at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and has presented master classes and workshops extensively, including at the Peabody Institute, Yale University, and Dublin’s National Concert Hall, among many others.

Danbi Um is a Menuhin International Violin Competition Silver Medalist and winner of the prestigious 2018 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant. She showcases her artistry in concertos, solo recitals, and in collaboration with distinguished chamber musicians.

Ms. Um’s recent and upcoming engagements include appearances with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (Kimmel Center), Ridgewood Symphony, and her Washington D.C. recital debut at the Phillips Collection.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Um returns to Chamber Music San Francisco, the Society of Four Arts in Palm Beach, Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for both national and international tours. Ms. Um’s chamber music collaborators have included Anthony Marwood, Vadim Gluzman, Pamela Frank, Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Neubauer, Frans Helmerson, David Finckel, David Shifrin, Wu Han, and Gilbert Kalish. A recording artist for Avie Records, Ms.Um’s debut album, Much Ado: Romantic Violin Masterworks, was released worldwide in fall of 2023.

In 2018, Ms. Um made her New York recital debut at Lincoln Center presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. After winning the 2014 Music Academy of the West Competition, Ms. Um made her concerto debut in the Walton Violin Concerto with the Festival Orchestra, conducted by Joshua Weilerstein.

Born in 1990 in Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Um began violin lessons at the age of three. In 2000, she moved to the United States to study at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree. She also holds an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. She plays a 1683 “ex-Petschek” Nicolo Amati violin, on loan from a private collection.