Bedřich Smetana: Symphonic poem Vltava 
Johannes Brahms: Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102, I. Allegro, II. Andante, III. Vivace non troppo

intermission

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, “Destiny”, I. Allegro con brio, II. Andante con moto, III. Scherzo. Allegro, IV. Allegro

Sanghee (Sania) Cheong started to play the violin at the age of 4. Since her public debut at the age of 10, she has performed with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg, North Czech Philharmonic Teplice, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra, Rome Symphony Orchestra and Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra at various world-renowned concert venues, such as the Smetana Hall and the Rudolfinum in Prague, Hercules Hall in Munich, Berliner Philharmonie and  Musikverein in Vienna. On July 16, 2011, she was invited to perform with cellist Mischa Maisky and his daughter Lily Maisky with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Český Krumlov International Music Festival. In October 2015, her first CD album with Mendelssohn and Beethoven violin concertos was released by Sony Classical. Ms. Cheong completed her master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and continued her studies in Moscow with Sergey Kravechenko at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Since October 2016 she has been teaching at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

When Stefan Jess-Kropfitsch, still a young cellist, received the Karl Böhm Prize of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the famous conductor declared, “a lot of people will talk about this young man, full of talent.” And so it happened. The career of this musician, a cello-lover, really did take off like a shot: a short while after obtaining his degree from the Vienna School of Music, he became Wolfgang Herzer’s assistant, a teacher at this same institute and solo cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He then became associate professor at this school, which in the meantime changed its name to “University of Music, Theatre and Dance in Vienna”. Alongside his teaching career, he also carried out extensive international concert work as soloist of numerous orchestras including notably the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Lucerne Festival Strings, the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Lower Austrian Tonkünstler Orchestra and the Ljubljana Philharmonic Orchestra. He also devoted himself to doing recordings for radio and television. Cellist of the famous JESS-TRIO-WIEN, he realizes an almost incalculable number of concerts at all the big centres of music. His records and CDs, produced by EMI and RONDO, captivate by the fine sound of his cello Hieronymus Amati dated 1620.

The Thueringen Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach orchestra is a versatile orchestra for Eisenach and Gotha and the entire region of West Thuringia. In Gotha, from 1651 until the dissolution of all duchies in 1918, a court orchestra shaped the cultural life of the city and became a magnet for well-known musicians and composers. Although the long-standing continuity of a residential court ensemble was missing in the neighbouring Eisenach residence, a lively musical history can be recorded based on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann. Thanks to bourgeois music clubs and regular visits of guest ensembles, Eisenach developed into a popular venue for concert, opera, operetta, ballet and theatre performances. The diverse range of tasks of the new Thuringia Philharmonic Orchestra Gotha-Eisenach includes, in addition to various demanding concert series with renowned musical guests at both locations, the accompaniment of ballet productions and the organization of chamber music concerts. The repertoire of the musicians is therefore versatile. It covers almost all musical periods from Baroque to the Classical and Romantic period to contemporary music and includes not only symphonic literature but also music theatre and film music. Besides the objective of providing high quality and cultivating symphonic traditions, the orchestra continues to develop its concert offer with new formats. Extraordinary programs and venues are offered especially as part of the Philharmonie Spezial series, in order to surprise new audiences with the unique sound experience of classical music.

Mr. Yuki Miyagi (conductor) was born in Osaka in 1944. A Bachelor of Commerce graduate of Hitotsubashi University, and a major in postgraduate marketing at Kingston College in England, he began studying conducting at the age of fifty under Kazuharu Shirakawa, Kurt Redel, Horst Stein, Ivan Fischer, and Ondrei Renaut. In 2000 he made his debut in Europe conducting for the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. The following year he had a successful concert with the same orchestra at Wiener Musikverein. Since then he has been guest conducting the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, and Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, winning high evaluation each time. In Japan he has had great successes with Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra at Suntory Hall, Münchiner Symphoniker, and the prestigious Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. With the Nurnberger Symphoniker, he led them to successful concert tours in Osaka and Tokyo In 2010. In 2012 he debuted in the U.K. conducting for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Followed successful concert at Dvorak hall in Praha conducting Praha Symphony orchestra. He conducted Kunitachi Symphoniker in 2014 and 2015. In 2017 special concert “Brahms abend” to celebrate his 20yers conducting debut at Suntory hall. Reviews on his conducting activities around the world are steadily heightening. Music generated from Mr. Miyagi’s highly spiritual philosophy on life and his unique aesthetics is awakening new inspirations to listeners of his music.