Artist Performance Series - SPCO Winds

Welcome to the landing page for our performance series event featuring the principal oboe, clarinet, and bassoon players of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra! On this page, you will find all the information about this upcoming event at MMI.

When: Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 2pm

Reception to follow. Come meet the artists with some light refreshments!

Where: Midwest Musical Imports Recital Hall

Program

Coming soon!

Artist Profiles

Cassie Pilgrim, oboe

Cassie Pilgrim is the Principal Oboist of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A native of Chamblee, Georgia, she has performed in many other leading American orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. During the summer, she has appeared at many renowned music festivals, including Festival Mozaic, Music from Angel Fire, the Aspen Music Festival and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. Cassie studied with Richard Woodhams at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor's of Music. Most recently, she studied with Robert Walters at the Oberlin Conservatory, earning an artist diploma. She began playing the oboe at the age of 10 and previously studied with Elizabeth Koch Tiscione. While at Curtis, she worked with Jonathan Biss to establish the Philadelphia branch of Boston-based charity organization Music for Food. Aside from music, Cassie enjoys writing, hammocking and eating dimsum.

 

Sang Yoon Kim, clarinet

South Korean clarinetist Sang Yoon Kim is the Principal Clarinet of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Sang Yoon is the top prize winner of the 67th Prague Spring International Music Competition 2015. His career highlights include his appearance as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of their Music Director, Sakari Oramo, at the Prague Spring International Music Festival. Moreover, he is a laureate of multiple international competitions, including the International Clarinet Competition in Ghent, first prize at the UNISA International Flute and Clarinet Competition in 2014, and first prize from the famous Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition in 2012.

Kim has served as a guest principal clarinet with many leading orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony with Vladimir Jurowski, Christoph Eschenbach, Franz-Welser Most, Jaap Van Zweden, among others.

Kim made his soloist debut with the Colburn Orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in 2013, conducted by Dietrich Paredes. Kim received much critical acclaim from the press. Since then, he has appeared as a soloist with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Opera de Rouen Haute-Normandie, Auburn Symphony Orchestra, and Kwazulu-natal Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared with multiple national orchestras in Korea such as Prime, Won-Ju, Sung-Nam, Mokpo and Gwang-Ju philharmonic Orchestra.

Sang Yoon is sought after as a chamber musician; he has attended the Marlboro Music Festival since 2021 and debuted at the Ravinia Festival with the Calidore String Quartet in 2013. He has performed with renowned artists, including Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst, celebrated French string quartet Quatuor Ebene, and pianists Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Robert Levin.

A passionate teacher, he joined the University of Minnesota as assistant professor of clarinet in 2022. Kim has given masterclasses in multiple US and South Korean universities, including the Peabody Institute of Music, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Minnesota Clarinet Academy, Seoul National University, Korea National University of Arts,  and Han Yang University.

A graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, where he was accepted as the first Korean clarinetist in the school's history. He studied with distinguished professors Michel Arrignon and Pascal Moragues. His study in Paris was preceded by three years with Florent Heau at the Conservatoire a Rayonnement Regional de Rueil-Malmaison. After Paris, he went on to study in Los Angeles at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, gaining an artist diploma under Yehuda Gilad in 2014.

Sang Yoon Kim is a Buffet Crampon, Vandoren, and Silverstein Performing Artist.

 

Andrew Brady, bassoon

Native Tennessean Andrew Brady joins The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in the 2022.23 season as Principal Bassoon. Brady comes to Minnesota from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, having served there as Principal Bassoon since January 2016. Prior to the ASO, Brady held the same position for two years with the Louisiana Philharmonic.

As a soloist, Brady has performed concertos by Hertel, Rossini, Mozart, Weber and Zwilich with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Southeast Symphony, the Los Angeles Doctor’s Symphony and The Colburn Orchestra. He appears regularly as Principal Bassoonist with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and he has performed as guest principal with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, as well as at Carnegie Hall and on European tours with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Brady’s artistry is in high demand and has taken him to South Africa, Korea, China, Mexico and the United Kingdom as well as many destinations within the contiguous United States for both performances and teaching engagements. In past summers, Brady has been a proud member of the Chineke! Orchestra including a performance at the 2017 BBC Proms. The ensemble is the UK’s first Black and ethnically diverse orchestra and seeks to promote diversity and change within classical music by increasing representation and visibility of musicians of color. Andrew is also thrilled to have participated in the “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom” concert with the Re-Collective Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl in June 2022. The concert was broadcast live on CNN and marked the first performance of an all-black orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. The celebration featured such legendary artists as Chaka Khan, The Roots, Michelle Williams and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Enthusiastically involved in music education, Brady has taught as an Artist-in-Residence at Kennesaw State University, and he is sought after for masterclasses and private tutelage. He has also served on the faculties of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, Brevard Music Center, Festival Napa Valley and National Youth Orchestra/NYO2 through Carnegie Hall.

Brady graduated with his Bachelor of Music degree from The Colburn School Conservatory of Music in 2013, where he studied with Richard Beene. Other major teachers and influences include Anthony Parnther, Rick Ranti and Suzanne Nelsen.

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