Seeing students, or even professors gather together to form an ensemble and perform music is common. However, it is not so common to see those ensembles last for a long time with the same members or make major contributions to the music world. This is exactly what makes the Soma Trio special.
The Soma Trio is an ensemble formed by three professors when they were graduate students studying music. It consists of violinist Professor Sohn In-kyung (Korean National University of Arts), cellist Professor Bai Il-hwan (Orchestra Instruments) at Ewha, and pianist Professor Lee Min-jung (The Catholic University of Korea) “The three of us first met at the Yale School of Music in the
This was how the trio got its name. Soma, in the Great Bible, refers to the revived body of Christ. Just as food is taken by hands, chewed with the teeth, and digested in the stomach, each professor plays his/her own significant part in the music Soma produces. Soma Trio pursues the classic. It gained its popularity after the launch of 1st album due to its perfect harmony and freshness.
As unusual as its name, the Soma Trio is not like a typical ensemble, as it combines regular performances with concerts given for charity. At the beginning, in fact, the Soma Trio got together only for church charity performances. However, after returning to
The Soma Trio has not only performed in renowned events, but also played for small churches, factories and nursing homes. All the contributions derived from such events are turned over to local communities and institutions in need of financial assistance. Proceeds of Soma Trio the three albums also go to the needy.
With constant calls from numerous chamber music festivals, and charity organizations all over
Professors just like students, get into conflict with each other, practice for thousands of hours and also make embarrassing mistakes on stage. “Since we are all different, the three of us do get involved in conflict. But one good thing is that there are three people. One person always acts as a mediator when the other two argues,” says Bai.
Professor Bai hopes to perform in the