In conversation with 10-year-old violin prodigy Seol Yoeun from South Korea
How this young violinist has become one of her nation’s favourite classical virtuoso
Ten-year-old Seol Yoeun is busy playing the violin on the stage for an upcoming solo performance, when we arrive at the Theatre, inside Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. She looks like just any other little girl in her shiny black Maryjanes and two braids. Our arrival doesn’t distract the South Korean violin prodigy, who is paying close attention to her mother giving her instructions.
They’re preparing for the big day when Yoeun will play Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3, in her debut performance in the UAE, on November 7.
Yoeun moves the bow across the strings, gently at first, with her small hands. She nods to her mother’s instruction and stops to adjust the violin. It seemed like she was trying to get a particular note right. Tucking the violin back under her chin, she returned to playing it. Was it Mozart or Beethoven? One couldn’t help but wonder – how a child so young had become a classical virtuoso and a prodigy?
I love Mozart the most, because the musical sounds are very clean and usually don’t have dissonance.
Yoeun was just two years and eight months of age when she saw a violin for the first time. The moment she saw it, Yoeun remembers feeling like she “wanted to play” the instrument.
Being a mum of a four-year-old, I can say that most toddlers don’t even understand their feelings that early, let alone get a “feeling” to play an instrument.
However, at three years of age, Yoeun had already become a social media star after her mother started uploading her performances on the internet. Today, most of her YouTube videos have millions of views, with some drawing as many as six million views.
There’s a reason behind her social media fame – it's hard work. Talking to Gulf News, ahead of her concert, Yoeun told us how she spends hours practicing her favourite instrument.
It begins with a gift
So, why does Yoeun like the violin? “I love making my own music,” said the beaming young star. When Yoeun was younger, she would compose her own tunes, she said.
“These days, I don’t get much time to compose.” In fact, her 2022 new year’s resolution is to practice playing the violin for at least five hours, every day.
I never expected she would pick up violin. In the beginning, I thought it was just a hobby, but at some point, she [Yoeun] said she wanted to be a violinist, and that has not changed. As soon as she wakes up, she wants to play music. That’s why I think she will major in violin.
Here are some questions we asked the little classical musician:
Who got you your first violin?
It was a gift from my mother.
Who helps you train?
Usually, I practice at home and my mum helps me practice, but I still have lessons with my teacher. I don’t go to a professional music school, but I take private violin classes.
What are your favourite musical compositions?
[When it comes to performing] usually, the organisers request for certain pieces, but my teacher also selects several pieces for me to choose from. [However], my favourite pieces are Carmen Fantasie by Waxman Wieniawski Etude No. 4 and Mozart Violin Concerto No.3. …They are fun to play.
Do you find any composition difficult to play?
I find it difficult to play the musical piece by Waxman. Moreover, Mozart violin concerto No. 4’s 2nd movement is harder for me.
Who is your favourite composer?
I love Mozart the most, because the musical sounds are very clean and usually don’t have dissonance.
I love performing with a full orchestra, because I love the sounds all the instruments create together.
Which one do you like more: Going to school or playing the violin?
I love going to school… My favourite subjects are PE (Physical Education) and Korean, but I don’t dislike other subjects. In addition, I love playing the violin, so doing both is not a burden at all …I enjoy performing in front of the audiences, it’s a place where I can clearly show my talent. I also love performing with a full orchestra, because I love the sounds all the instruments create together.
Do you ever feel nervous when you perform?
Actually, I feel quite nervous before and during the performance, but I quite enjoy that feeling.
Any advice for young musicians who also perform for big audiences?
I would recommend new musicians to get to know the accompaniments so even if you make a mistake; you get back to the performance right away.
Once, when I performed Caprice No 5… a professional violinist commented that it was technically and musically very good, and it made me very happy.
You’ve probably received many compliments on your performances. Which one is your favourtie?
Once, when I performed Caprice No 5… a professional violinist commented that it was technically and musically very good, and it made me very happy.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
If not a violinist, then probably a fashion designer.
What other instruments do you play?
I play the piano a little bit; most recently, I’ve started drums. In addition, of course the violin. If I don’t include the broken one, I have four violins.
Whose performances do you enjoy the most?
Personally, I love Maxim Vengerov’s performances. I met him when he came to our private after-school violin classes. My teacher had invited him… he visited each individual practice room including mine and we even took photos.
Do you like to sing?
I love singing and karaoke rooms.
Who is your biggest fan in your family?
Probably my mum, who is usually with me.
The making of a prodigy
Indeed, Yoeun and her mother are always together. Today, they are even similarly dressed, both in black dresses and shiny black Maryjanes. It occurs to me that the mother and daughter duo are as inseparable as the violin and its bow.
On one hand, there’s Kim, a keen observer, who doesn’t hesitate to interrupt her daughter’s performance, while she practices. On the other, there’s Yoeun, an obedient listener, who obeys her mother’s instructions. Together, they achieve a perfect harmony not only in their relationship, but this harmony is visible in Yoeun’s performance too.
I ask how Kim supports and encourages Yoeun. She says, “There’s no specific method, but asking her to stop playing the violin, that’s kind of making her play it more, or practice more! That’s how it works.
“I never planned to make her learn music. When I was pregnant with her, I thought of teaching her art and dance, or maybe ballet. I would have probably taught her the piano, but I never expected she would pick up violin. In the beginning, I thought it was just a hobby, but at some point, she said she wanted to be a violinist, and that has not changed. As soon as she wakes up, she wants to play music. That’s why I think she will major in violin.”
I asked whether Yoeun was earning any money from her performances, and Kim said no. She added, “At this point there’s no sponsorship or scholarship, so we’re managing with our family income. We’re spending more than earning any money.”
Keeping things grounded
So, how aware is Yoeun about her own fame? According to Yoeun, her school friends who don’t play the violin are curious that she goes overseas to perform and are “sometimes jealous”.
There are so many well-known violinists, who have their own style. Yoeun is still too young to realise or develop her own music style. She’s just 10 and too young. So, we still have to wait and watch.
However, Yoeun’s mother makes sure things are still grounded. Kim doesn’t feel that Yoeun is different from other children since she’s still too young.
“There are so many well-known violinists, who have their own style. Yoeun is still too young to realise or develop her own music style. She’s just 10 and too young. So, we still have to wait and watch,” says Kim as she looks at her daughter, who is getting ready for a photoshoot.
Meanwhile, Yoeun, starts giggling and her infectious laugh spreads to the rest of us. Soon, the cameraman is giggling along with her too. Right about then I realise the answer to my earlier question that what makes a child a prodigy isn’t just hard work and fame. It’s also, about how a virtuoso, much like Yoeun, still manages to have a childlike creativity in her approach to life and her music.