04.05.25

Yu&I Duo

Yu&I Duo

Winners of the prestigious Beverly Hills National Auditions, YuEun Gemma Kim and Ines Thomé, share a remarkable story that began a decade ago. Back then, they were two aspiring musicians from different corners of the globe, YuEun from Korea and Ines from Germany.

“LOVE AND FIRE”: A captivating program that blends timeless beauty and passionate intensity. With selections ranging from the 17th century until early 20th century Spanish Nationalist music, listeners will be transported through a rich tapestry of emotions.

Opening Performer: TBA

Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Regent Street Black Box Theater at the Eccles

144 South Regent Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

NO PUBLIC MASTERCLASS WILL BE OFFERED FOR THIS EVENT

Winners of the prestigious Beverly Hills National Auditions, YuEun Gemma Kim and Ines Thomé, share a remarkable story that began a decade ago. Back then, they were two aspiring musicians from different corners of the globe, YuEun from Korea and Ines from Germany. Serendipitously, they became housemates in a charming Victorian spot in Los Angeles while studying at USC's Thornton School of Music. Their instant connection stemmed from a shared passion for chamber music and a mutual love for delectable Korean cuisine.

Over the years, their artistic partnership has flourished, captivating audiences across the United States with their magnetic stage presence and consummate musicality. YuEun and Ines stand as accomplished soloists, each boasting a collection of accolades in their respective instruments that has carried them to stages around the world. Their repertoire spans the ages, from evocative renditions of early music performed on period instruments to innovative arrangements of popular music executed with the highest level of artistry.

Yu&I duo's musical journey has enhanced prestigious venues and events across the nation, including The Blue Hill Concert Association, UCLA's Bruman Chamber Music Festival, Knoxville Guitar Society, The Sacramento Chamber Music Society, and The Pamlico Musical Society, among many others. In the current season, Yu&I embarks on an extensive U.S. tour, encompassing more than 20 cities. The culmination of their journey comes in the form of their debut album, "A Journey with Yu&I," set to release in Fall 2023. This album promises a mesmerizing fusion of folk-inspired melodies from their respective homelands, South Korea and Germany. In Yu&I's concerts, expect an electrifying yet soothing experience—an exploration of tradition that pushes the boundaries of musical expression.

YuEun and Ines have extensive outreach experience and Ines was awarded USC’s outreach award in 2015. They especially enjoy playing for kids (of all ages), sharing their love and talent for music. Seeing kids get excited for music and their instruments is a passion of Yu&I. Telling stories with their music, Yu&I gets the kids involved with dancing, singing, and clapping along with the music. Their programs are engaging for all and include well known songs arranged for violin and guitar.

Reviews

Yu&I Win Over Grand Theatre Audience

Duo entertains, educates, edifies

by: RICHARD WILSON wilson@dailygate.com

2/15/2024

I wondered how a couple of hours of violin and guitar music would work, or could those two instruments possibly be entertaining for long. Yu&I pulled it off! In style, with grace, and by skillful programming. And sheer individual talent joined together to make something amazing. Their concert was entertaining, informative, and something to remember with joy for years to come.The violinist YuEun Gemma Kim came to the U.S. from Korea, and the guitarist Ines Thomé arrived here from Germany. Kim earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in violin performance from the Seoul National University, and graduated with her Artist Diploma at the University of Southern California  Thornton School of Music. Thomé earned her “Diplom” and Master’s degrees from Stuttgart State University of Performing Arts in Germany, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California. They met when they were studying in California and found themselves living in the same house. They respected each other’s talent and found they worked well together.

 Now, 10 years later, they enchant audiences throughout the U.S. and overseas as well.Obviously they have credentials, but what did the Keokuk audience think of them? The first piece, the three-movement “Histoire de Tango,” by Astor Piazzolia, with its varied moods reflecting the evolution of the sensuous tango from 1900 to 1960, was met with deafening applause. The duo moved to the contemporary with music from the movies “The Deer Hunter” and “Cinema Paradiso,” both of which captured the audience. The two performers also talked about some of their pieces and successfully engaged the audience. Kim said that the next piece was technically difficult and she was faced with performing it for auditions on several occasions, Paganini’s “Centone di Sonate” in A-minor. It was great!

 Their program covered many periods, from the 1600s to 2020, moving from von Biber (1644-1704); through an arrangement of Chopin’s piano “Nocturne” in C-sharp minor written in the early 1800s and “Schubert’s “Die Forelle” (“The Trout”) from the late 1800s; “La Vie en Rose” written in 1945 by Édith Piaf; and the aforementioned movie themes from just a few decades ago. The interesting thing is it all worked. Their individual mastery of their respective instrument and the magic that happened as they worked flawlessly together brought about more and more applause, and finally shouts of “Encore!” as they concluded the concert with Manuel de Falla’s Spanish Dance. And what an encore they gave to the audience... a brilliant transcription of Antonio Vivaldi’s “L’Inverno” (Winter)! So, blessed with memories of a magical performance at the Grand Theatre, I say to YuEun Kim, “Gamsahamnida,” and to Ines Thomé, “Danke schön” – a great big Thank You!

YuEun Kim

Violin

Award-winning South Korean violinist YuEun Gemma Kim concertizes internationally as soloist and chamber musician in a wide variety of repertoire on modern and baroque period instruments. She moved to the United States in 2013 to attend University of Southern California, where she studied with Midori Goto. She has been performing in the US, Asia, and Europe with ensembles like Delirium Musicum, American Bach Soloists, Boulder Bach Festival, Voices of Music, Noree Chamber Soloists, Kumho Chamber Music Society and many more. She was a top prize winner at Boulder International Chamber Music Competition Art of Duo, a semi-finalist at the Qingdao International Violin Competition in China and at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand, and recently received the Jeffrey Thomas Award from American Bach Soloists.

​YuEun is a core member of the self-conducted chamber orchestra Delirium Musicum. During the pandemic, Delirium Musicum created MusiKaravan, which took YuEun and Artistic Director Etienne Gara on the road in a vintage Volkswagen bus to perform socially-distanced concerts for farm workers, winemakers, random passersby, and even the occasional ostrich. MusiKaravan won the Audience Choice Award of the San Francisco Classical Voice for “Best Streaming Series”. She participated in Delirium Musicum’s recent debut album, “Seasons” under the label Warner Classics. In 2022, YuEun was named Artist-in-Residence at Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra and this season, she will appear as a soloist with The Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s, Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra and will perform in Europe and Asia.

​Her Chopin’s Nocturne video on her YouTube reached over 15 million views.

Ines Thomé

Guitar

Ines Thomé is a German-born guitarist, chamber musician, and educator. She completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Germany and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Ines's exceptional talent and dedication to music are evident through her numerous awards from international competitions in Germany, Italy, and the United States, including First Prizes at the Beverly Hills National Auditions, the International Guitar Competition in Walnut Creek, California, and the American Guitar Society's Bickford Competition. Ines has been invited to give solo recitals at prestigious venues such as the Stuttgart International Guitar Festival in Germany, the Los Angeles Guitar Festival, and various concert series in the U.S. and Germany.In addition to her achievements in classical guitar, Ines has a keen interest in historical performance practice. She enjoys playing a variety of period instruments, including the lute, theorbo, and baroque guitar. She has performed on period instruments with the USC Opera and the American Contemporary Ballet, and she has also participated in the Berkeley Early Music Festival. Her dedication to early music was recognized with an award at the International Guitar Competition in Erwitte, Germany. While she was still in Germany, Ines played electric guitar in the female metal and Arven, with whom she released two albums.

In addition to her successful career as a performer, Ines has been teaching guitar for over 20 years. She currently directs the only elementary guitar program in the Muscogee County School District, where she loves creating innovative arrangements that incorporate a variety of instruments. When not performing and teaching, Ines loves to play soccer with her 4-year-old son Vincent and has been seen paragliding through the Alps.