Chaewon Helge, Contractor
B.M. Cello Performance, Indiana University
M.M. Cello Performance, Western Michigan University D.M.A.Cello Performance, The University of Oklahoma (ABD) Chaewon Helge is a Korean-American Ypsilanti-based cellist, teacher, and researcher. She started cello at age 6 in a Suzuki strings program. In middle school, she started taking lessons at the Interlochen Center for the Art, and in high school, she lead the MSBOA Michigan All-State High School Orchestra cello section for four years as assistant principal in 2007, and principal in 2006, 2008, 2009. She went on to complete her coursework at the IU, WMU, and OU, served as a graduate assistant in the latter two programs. She is currently writing her dissertation on the life and recordings of the great British cello virtuoso Beatrice Harrison (1892-1965). Chaewon has 25 years of cello playing, 20 years of professional gigging experience, and 10 years of collegiate-level conservatory training as a soloist, chamber musician, and principal and section orchestral cellist. As an artist with eclectic taste, she's fluent arranging and performing a diverse repertoire including classical literature, popular songs, film scores, as well as traditional and contemporary sacred music. Her specializations include world premiers of contemporary pieces with new music ensembles, historically informed 17th & 18th-century performance practice ensembles, and musical theater & opera pit orchestras. Her most recent appearances include Principal cellist of the Warren Symphony, Principal cellist of the Oakland Symphony, and cellist in the Lansing Symphony and the Fox Theater. Chaewon is also an experienced teacher and works with students as young as three using The Suzuki Method as well as experience with K-12 students and collegiate, and adults looking to either pick the instrument back up or start for the first time. |
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WHY CHOOSE HWAN STRINGS?
"The vast majority of people who hire a string ensemble will be satisfied with their performance. This is partly due to the highly competitive nature of a career in music performance and the free market. By and large, no matter who you hire, you'll probably be paying for a quality experience.
However, this high satisfaction rate is also because the vast majority of the public can't hear the difference between an amateur and a professional. The director of an international classical music radio station once told me that when their listeners can't see the ensemble, 95% of people can't tell the difference between a recording of good high school orchestra and a professional top-tier orchestra, and so for most people, this difference is negligible. But, just as is the case with any specialization whether that be car repair or open heart surgery, the differences are not always negligible. Thus, we aspire to advice that my cello teacher gave me before my first paid gig: "Never assume the public can't tell the difference because you never know who is sitting in the audience. There could always be another string musician, a retired public school band director, or even a recording technician." Thus, out of respect for ourselves, our audiences, and the music, we always play to the standards of the 5%." - Chaewon |