Heesun Choi

Violinist & CEO of Fernweh Music Foundation

Heesun Choi is a violinist playing both classical repertoire and historical performances and a co-founder and CEO of Fernweh Music Foundation whose career is spanning community-focused music initiatives. After graduating from Seoul National University, she earned her Diplom from Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf and her Konzertexamenfrom Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, completing both with the highest honors.

During stay in Europe, Choi served as a concertmaster for both Theater Hagen and Philharmonie Südwestfalen. Upon returning to South Korea, she joined Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra as a principal first violin. During this tenure, she performed both Mahler and Bruckner symphony full series under the baton of Maestro Hun-Jung Lim. Engaging directly with the public through these extensive concert series, she understood the role of orchestral music within local communities and its capability to connect with diverse audiences.

This perspective shaped her subsequent pedagogical work. While teaching young musical talents at the academy sponsored by LG Household & Health Care in South Korea, she focused on providing rigorous musical training to students from underserved backgrounds, ensuring their talent could develop without financial barriers. The dedication to this and the corresponding growth of these students became the catalyst for building the Fernweh Music Foundation later in the United States.

Now based in the United States, Choi actively performs with premier early music ensembles, including Tesserae Baroque, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, and the Bach Collegium San Diego. And as Co-founder and CEO of the Fernweh Music Foundation, she directs Fernweh International Young Artists Competition (IYAC). Through the Foundation, she applies her lifelong experience across international music communities to build sustainable mentorship structures and supportive platforms for the next generation of musicians.