‍[00:02] Jennifer Wu: Hi everyone, thanks for listening to The Founder Spirit podcast. I'm your host, Jennifer Wu. In this podcast series, I interview exceptional individuals from all over the world with the founder spirit, ranging from social entrepreneurs, tech founders, to philanthropists, elite athletes and more. Together, we'll uncover not only how they managed to succeed in facing multiple challenges, but also who they are as people and their human story. 

The following episode was recorded during the Villars Summit. The Founder Spirit Podcast is proud to be a partner of the Villars Institute, a nonprofit foundation focused on accelerating the transition to a net-zero (and nature-positive) economy and restoring planetary health.

“As long as there is a stage and there is an audience that I can really communicate through music to deliver the magic of this art and its influence, then to be in the position to choose what I do and to give all I can is my goal.”

“If every one of us in our own field can do something, especially for the environment, then each movement counts. And I found that really touching and very relatable to be here as an artist.”

“And it felt very inspiring that all of us have a role, even though we think we are not so related to each other's fields. 

Joining us today is the mesmerising SongHa Choi, one of the most compelling violinists of her generation. A laureate of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, she has garnered international acclaim, including the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition and the Prix Reyl at the Verbier Festival.

As a soloist, SongHa has collaborated with major orchestras around the world and her  performances have graced renowned stages such as the Berliner Philharmonie and the Royal Festival Hall in London.

More than a violinist, SongHa is an artist with a creative, personal voice. And believe or not, she is only 25-years old, and yet she carries the wisdom of someone far beyond her years!

Just what inner drive propelled SongHa to international fame so early in her career? Well, let’s talk to her & find out.

Welcome, SongHa, welcome to the Founder Spirit Podcast. Thank you for joining us today.

[02:46] SongHa: I'm honored. 

[02:48] Jennifer: Growing up in South Korea, what were some of the formative experiences in your life? 

[02:53] SongHa: I was actually born in Germany. I lived there for nearly a month and a half and I moved to Korea with my entire  family.

And I started music because it was kind of a natural thing to do for me. I have two older sisters who are also musicians and who started violin and cello before me. So for me, it was just kind of a curious hobby, but (it) felt very natural to pick up an instrument while my sisters were having lessons. 

And before picking up the violin, I  actually had a lot of different tryouts with different instruments. Also because my mom, she had a rule that she would never say no to us for asking to try something new. So I started to play the harp and the piano. Also, I went to origami classes, even yodel academies. 

Everything that I saw in advertisements or something that I heard about my friends doing, I always ask, oh, can I also do it? And then my mom kind of let me try a lot of things, but I guess violin is the thing that stuck with me since then. 

[03:54] Jennifer: So how old were you when you first tried your first violin? 

[03:58] SongHa: I was seven years old, which is considered not too early for professional violinists, but I'm glad that I didn't get forced into it or I didn't have to do it from a very young age. I have a different relationship to it, I think.

[04:14] Jennifer: So it's something that you chose? You chose the instrument for yourself? 

[04:19] SongHa: Yes. And even after starting the violin, I still tried out guitar, drum, flute, but it was 1st kind of for fun in the end, just to help with the musical knowledge rather than to change the path. 

[04:30] Jennifer: Do you come from a family of musicians? Because obviously you have sisters that play other instruments as well. Was that a major influence, mostly from your sisters or from your parents? 

[04:40] SongHa: I think from my sisters, because none of my family members before them were musicians, even though my parents were huge music lovers. So classical music has always been around, even in the cars or when we're going to sleep. It was just kind of my mom's passion. 

And then, in fact, she wanted to learn the cello and then brought one of my sisters with her because she was really young at the time. And then my older sister wanted to pick up the cello. So my mom kind of just gave the lesson to her and that's how it all started. 

[05:10] Jennifer: Ah, okay, interesting. So my daughter plays the Chinese harp, the horizontal instrument. I think they have this similar one in Korea, right? It's a 21-string instrument. 

[05:21] SongHa: In Korea it's called gayageum. It's such a beautiful instrument. 

[05:25] Jennifer: Yeah. In Chinese, it's called the guzheng. Yeah. I started learning for two years, then I quit, but maybe I'll start again.

[05:31] SongHa: Could be a very nice hobby.   

[05:33] Jennifer: Yes, absolutely. And when did you discover that you wanted to be a professional violinist? I mean, you picked up your first violin at seven. Did you know right away that this is the instrument for you? Because I can imagine when you start playing the violin. It's so hard on the ear. 

[05:52] SongHa: Of course, especially for the people around me, especially for the parents. 

Actually, so some of my colleagues have this definitive moment that they heard CD or recording or a concert that they went like, oh, I fell in love immediately. I need to do this for the rest of my life. 

And  for me, I actually didn't have like falling in love head over heels in a one-second moment. It was more of a gradual sinking into this path and knowing really from the core that I want to do it, but slowly.

So I actually left home at the age of 12 to go to music school in England. And even then I knew I was going to a specialist music school. But for me, the options were always open. It was more about experiencing a different culture, and I was only excited about that.   

And then I think around the middle of my teenage years, I started to really feel that this is something I can't live without. And that's when you realize that the passion is driving you. It was probably around then, but I also still had a lot of doubts, especially (when) choosing college, university around 18.

And then later also in the Covid years thinking if it's still something that I could be doing for the rest of my life. But I would say probably mid-teenage years. 

[07:04] Jennifer: So you went to the UK - was it in London? 

[07:07] SongHa: No, it was the outskirts of London. It was called the Yehudi Menuhin school and it's a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forests, founded by the great violinist Menuhin and yeah, I stayed there for seven years. 

[07:21] Jennifer: And was it difficult for you to leave your family to go to the UK? 

[07:27] SongHa: Actually I think my parents would expect me to say yes, but not at all. (chuckles)

I think I was so fearless as a kid that my parents wanted us to become very independent very quickly. So they just dropped me off at the airport. I  didn't speak a word of English and they're like, bye, have a good time. 

[07:47] Jennifer: So they drop you off at the airport in Seoul? 

[07:48] SongHa: Yeah, and then afterwards I flew to Heathrow and already the first challenge was trying to get out of the airport. 

[07:56] Jennifer:  Right, exactly. Going through the customs, right?  

[07:58] SongHa: Yeah, and they were just wondering why is this tiny 12-year old by herself with a huge suitcase saying that “oh yeah, I've moved here by myself”.

So I could catch up with the language very quickly because it was a boarding school. So I felt very happy to just absorb like a sponge all these new influences and culture. And I was quite busy with that. I didn't have a mobile phone then. I would borrow my friend's laptop or the school computer once a month or once in a while to write an email to my parents. That's the form of communication then. 

[08:30] Jennifer: It's quite similar to my experience. I came to the US when I was 12 years old many years ago. And I remember I could speak a few words of English, but I remember going through the customs in San Francisco when I landed.It's like, I really wish I knew more English. 

In China, my grandfather spoke fluent English. He was always forcing me to learn the language, and he's like, oh, you know, when you go to the US, it will be very (useful). And then when I got there, I'm like, I really wish I spent more time learning English with my grandfather. (chuckles)

Yeah, I was very similar. I wouldn't say I was fearless, but I picked up the language quite quickly, because I had a good basis, I had learned English before. 

[09:12] SongHa: It's also different learning English as an academic subject or just kind of learning it through communication in real life. 

[09:19] Jennifer: Right, right, yeah, exactly. And then when, once you're immersed in the environment, I think. It's also a lot easier versus when you learn from living in China or South Korea. It's just different. 

[09:30] SongHa: Yeah, it's also the age. 

[09:31]  Jennifer: Yeah, it's also the age. 

[09:32] SongHa: If someone dropped me off in France right now, I think I would take much longer to learn French. 

[09:38] Jennifer: So when you're in the school, it's called Yehudi Menuhin School. When you study there, do you also study other subjects in addition to music? How does it work? 

[09:51] SongHa: So the ethos of Yehudi Menuhin was that you get an all-rounded education, also for music, but also for life. So we did all the normal academic subjects - this is called GCSE and A-level, as well as there was a big art room and different kinds of music education. Also there was improvisations class, orchestra, choir and composition, theory, history - so it was. 

You get a schedule, personalized schedule, which starts from 8 o'clock in the morning, ends at 8pm and then there are different subjects, practice hours, lessons and rehearsals. Each hour is filled to the brim.

[10:27] Jennifer:  And is it a specialized school for music or is it a very specialized school just for the violin? 

[10:35] SongHa: It's just for stringed instruments and piano. The whole school was around 70 pupils when I was there. And it's from age 7 to 19. So you can imagine how small the classes were compared to the normal schools. 

[10:46] Jennifer: Oh wow, so (only) 70 students. So then you had like 10 people per class?

[10:50] SongHa: If you had a big class? Yeah, it started off with 6 and we were one of the biggest classes with 11 students in my year. 

[11:00] Jennifer: Oh, wow. And how do you get picked? What was the process (that) you had to go through? 

[11:05] SongHa: So the first stage is to send an application form because the students come from all over the world. You do it by DVD recordings of your playing. And after that if you're accepted, then you go to a three-day stay. 

So you actually stay in the school and they also see your academic abilities and do another playing, auditions, but live in front of a panel, and see how you fit in with the school and the rest of the kids. 

So suddenly you're part of the school for three days. And I like that idea very much to see that the school chooses you. But also you choose the school to see if it's the right fit, because it's very far away from home. It's a big investment to be there at that young age. 

[11:46] Jennifer: And you chose the school like you had heard about it or your parents had heard about it?

[11:51] SongHa: Yeah. My older sister, also the violinist sister, had gone there a couple years before. I mean, she left very quickly when I arrived to go to college because of the age difference. 

But she had heard about it from a friend of hers in Germany in a festival by chance. And then she just did the audition and fell in love with the school and was telling me about it. And the next thing I know, I was asking my parents, can I please go? (chuckles)

[12:15] Jennifer: Can I leave the parents now? (chuckles) 

[12:18] SongHa: So I gained a lot (of) friends and this kind of relationships to people around me. But of course, there is a regret that my parents never got to really experience me growing up as a teenager.

And now we can openly talk about it. But then they were just kind of like hiding, kind of sacrificing their emotions for that. 

[12:37] Jennifer: Which Asian parents mostly do. But your sisters, they had grown up in Korea though. 

[12:43] SongHa: Also, but they all went to England, one-by-one, but to different schools. The cellist one went to a different school, and then she also went to Germany after a year or two. My oldest eldest sister is still in London.

[12:51] SongHa: So we're all based in Europe, basically except my parents. 

[13:00] Jennifer: Your parents have three girls that play string instruments? 

[13:02] SongHa: Yes. 

[13:04] Jennifer: In Europe.

[13:05] SongHa: In Europe. 

[13:06] Jennifer: Okay, fascinating. And then. So after the (Menuhin) school, you ended up going to the Hochschule for music in Berlin.

[13:14] SongHa: So I moved to Berlin for the teacher in the school. And it's one of the most culturally active cities at the moment, also for musicians and the art scene. So it really attracted me immediately to be in Berlin. And since then it's been nearly six years. 

[13:29] Jennifer: And you studied under Kolja? 

[13:31] SongHa: Kolja Blacher. He was the former concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmoniker Orchestra. And he's actually the reason why I could come to Villars for the first time last summer because there was a music academy. 

[13:43] Jennifer: Yes, of course. 

[13:45] SongHa: I had participated to have master classes with him.

[13:47] Jennifer: Oh, fantastic. So was that considered your university? 

[13:51] SongHa: A music Hochschule is like a music conservatoire. I did my bachelor's there, finishing masters now. 

[13:58] Jennifer: How old are you? 

[13:59] SongHa: I just turned 25. 

[14:02] Jennifer: Okay, alright. You're the youngest person I have had on the show. (chuckles)

[14:10] SongHa: Still to be broken up. 

[14:11] Jennifer: Right, yeah, maybe. Maybe next time I'll interview some Villars fellows. 

[14:18] SongHa: The fellowship starts from 13, right? 

[14:21] Jennifer: No, they start 16 - 16 to 19, so like the last two years of high school. 

[14:25] SongHa: I see. Okay. 

[14:27] Jennifer: So you trained in the UK under Professor Lutsia Ibragimova, and you’ve trained in Berlin under Professor Kolja Blacher. You know, obviously, these people are very different from your professors that you've had in South Korea. I'm sure you had amazing professors as well. 

But how do you kind of compare the different pedagogy that you received in Korea as a child versus what you experienced here in Europe? 

[14:53] SongHa: Yeah, basically, even though I was very young, when I was studying in Korea, I could feel the competitiveness around the peers my age and therefore the perfectionism that the musical society requires there. 

I mean, I was learning the very basics of the violin and I didn't have so much chance to think about having my own personal color because I was also very young then. So I was just kind of learning how the instrument works, how to make beautiful sound, and then. 

[15:23] Jennifer: Right (chuckles) vs. um um…

[15:25] SongHa: a lot of squeaky noises. 

[15:26] Jennifer: Right, right.  

[15:27] SongHa: And I concentrated on learning a lot of different repertoire quickly so that I can pick up different pieces for different concerts. 

But then I went to England, and there's basically different kinds of schools of violin playing, which the technique and the sound profile is quite different from each other. I had to start learning the violin from scratch, about also how to stand, how to hold the violin. 

[15:51] Jennifer: Oh, really? 

[15:52] SongHa: This was a big change. And I felt quite frustrated as a young kid, thinking, why do I have to do this again? I've just done this. But it was so valuable to re-learn how to do it. 

It was a Russian school of technique. And my teacher, after being so strict with me for 3-4 years, there was a turning point that she realized that, okay, I've kind of given her the very basics, and now it's time to develop her as a person, as a unique artist, rather than just a general copy of this school.

And then she started letting me have a lot of freedom while giving me advices as a really big pedagogue in Russia and England. So it felt very freeing with a big foundation to kind of use as tools. 

And then I went to Germany, who had another school of playing. Kolja, he had a mix of German and American influences for the school. And he's a very active player as also a conductor. So he has a lot of ideas and tips from the real-life concert situations and what it takes to become a concert violinist. 

And he's also very strict in a different way. But now it's college level that he expects you to be the main source of working and inspiration. Then he gives you a chance and different kinds of tools to use in emergencies or in daily life - tools on the stage, the different kinds of techniques. 

And I found it so inspiring. Even though he's in his 60s now, he's always looking for something new, some kind of new methods, different kinds of schools and different techniques. And he's always working on it. And then he would share it with us. So it's more of… the lessons feel sometimes more like a discussion of how I can make my own decisions. 

All of them are very strict, basically long story short, but with different kinds of inspirations and nurturing. 

[17:50] Jennifer: Fascinating. And what is your daily routine? Like how many hours do you practice a day? 

[17:56] SongHa: It really changes, of course, day to day and depends on what kind of projects I'm preparing for. Ideally, I play around four to five hours by myself. 

[18:07] Jennifer: Four, five hours a day? 

[18:09] SongHa: Yeah, violin playing. And that starts with like athletes, how they warm up with running or different kinds of stretches. We also have warm up routines for both right and left hands. 

And then I'd be working with the pieces, either concertos or recital programs. Then there are also addition of rehearsing with orchestra or having a meeting with conductors, or also just rehearsing chamber music with colleagues.

So that would be my ideal kind of length of working. Because more than that, it can hurt physically or also very stressful. But before competition, if I'm entering one, I think around up to 10 hours I was sometimes practicing. 

[18:53] Jennifer: A day? 

[18:54] SongHa: Yeah, some travel days There are times that I cannot even touch (the violin) for a minute because you're just in long flights and trains. And it really changes day to day. 

[19:07] Jennifer: And then so outside of your normal 5 hours practice, what else do you do? 

[19:11] SongHa: I like to… My hobby is to try out a lot of hobbies. So the only constant hobbies that I had so far was reading. Since I can't even remember. That was. Yeah, that was always one of my biggest passion. And anything crafty with art, sketching 

[19:27] Jennifer: something with the hands. 

[19:29] SongHa: Yeah, sketching or sculpting with wires. When I have time, I like to do that. But otherwise I started to do a lot of different kinds of sports - also for health, so yoga, pilates, horse riding, boxing, different kinds of things when there's time, I like to try out, and cooking. 

[19:47] Jennifer: And does that help you get out of your head with the violin? 

[19:51] SongHa: For sure, sometimes. I do also put music on while I'm cooking or reading, but I try to zone out of it. I put different kinds of music, like jazz music to kind of reset because it can drive you crazy sometimes. 

[20:05] Jennifer: Of course, of course. Do you listen to modern music too? Do you listen to pop? (chuckles)

[20:10] SongHa: I listened to pop music until 70s, I don't know if that counts as modern. 

[20:16] Jennifer: Oh, until the 70s, oh, okay. (chuckles0 

[20:19] SongHa: I’m old fashioned in my…

[20:20] Jennifer: Okay. And who's your favorite band? 

[20:23] SongHa: Well, I listen to a lot of Beatles right now and I've only just discovered, to be honest, ACDC.

[20:29] Jennifer: Yeah, that's my son's favorite actually. Really? Yeah. 

[20:31] SongHa: These are all very new. I don't know. I've been living under a rock. The bands are very new and I've never been to a non classical concert, so I hope so. That's on my bucket list this year. 

[20:44] Jennifer: So you have not been to Taylor Swift? You're not a Swiftie. 

[20:47] SongHa: I've listened to her songs in like 2012. I haven't since then. 

[20:51] Jennifer: So I went to the Taylor Swift concert last year with my daughter. 

[20:56] SongHa: The Eras Tour. 

[20:57] Jennifer: Yes, the Eras Tour. Yeah, she came to Zurich, she had two days. 

[21:01] SongHa: Are you a big fan of hers? 

[20:02] Jennifer: No, I'm not, but my daughter is. I find her very talented. I'm not very musical per se, I barely play that one instrument. 

Did you ever think about quitting, by the way? 

[22:13] SongHa: Of course. 

[22:14] Jennifer: How many times? 

[22:16] SongHa: I mean, I don't say this to many people, but of course there's always doubts of thinking, do I have what it takes to make it? Or is this something I can really see myself doing? Because it's so much sacrifice and so much hard work. 

And so much stress and pressure that thinking, is it going to grow? Is it going to get better? 

And I had this thought, I think, when I was choosing colleges and universities, firstly because then it was suddenly there was a choice of do I go to a music college or is there something else I can do? Is it too late to start something? So I had my doubts then. 

But then there are a lot of things I was interested in, but never passionate about that I could think, oh, I couldn't live without this for the rest of my life. This kind of passion only came with music. So then I kind of naturally knew that of course I was gonna stick with it. 

But it's nice to daydream about it sometimes. I see I get to meet a lot of non-musician friends and colleagues and their life sounds so much more interesting than what I'm used to when I get jealous. 

[22:22] Jennifer: No, but maybe they see it the other way around. 

[22:24] SongHa: Both of us. 

[22:25] Jennifer: I feel like the grass is always greener. But does everyone from the Yehudi Mnuchin School, do they all go to a music school? 

[22:37]  SongHa: I would say 90% of the students. 

But of course, there are some people who take different paths after having studied with a musical background. Either they would go into musicology - a lot of people go to Cambridge to read music, but as an academic subject. Or I know a couple of people who started to study psychology. But most, the majority, will go to a music college in Europe or in the (United) States. 

[22:58] Jennifer: Ah, interesting. You're obviously so young and you've garnered many awards already. But in your mind right now, do you have a goal of where you see yourself five, ten years from now? 

[23:11] SongHa: Actually, where do you see yourself in 10 years? The question is like the scariest question for me. Knowing that half of my family is in Korea and the rest in Europe, then I don't know where to base myself in five or ten years. And also I can't quite decide yet where I would be. 

But without a very specific goal or a specific orchestra to work with or conductor, I'd like to think that as long as there is a stage and there is an audience that I can really communicate through music and to deliver the magic of this art and its influence, then to be in the position to choose what I do and to give all I can is my goal and I hope this attitude doesn't change. 

That's also one of my goals because right now, (I’m) just full of inspiration and energy. I'm always thinking, oh, this I could really do this for a long time. And I hope I have the same attitude to bring (to) each stage something very special.

[24:10] Jennifer: Do you think about composing music sometimes?  

[24:13] SongHa: I studied composition for a bit and I do try to implement composing music into my playing. 

For example, if I play a classical concerto by Mozart or Beethoven, I like to compose my own cadenzas, which is like a solo interlude between the orchestral entities. But I haven't yet composed a full work for violin and piano. But maybe in the future, I would love to explore. There hasn't been so much time, unfortunately. 

[24:38] Jennifer: Right, especially when you're practicing 10 hours a day. 

Do you have a favorite composer, favorite piece of music that you love? From time to time, I guess depending on the mood. 

[24:50] SongHa: I was going to say. It's also depending on what kind of concerts I have and what kind of works I'm working with. 

I was always really drawn to the kind of a modern French composers like Debussy, Ravel. And recently I played the Dvorak concerto, so Dvorak's again up on my favorite list. And right now there, I think it's got to Beethoven for now. It might change in a week, but for now, it is Beethoven. 

[25:17] Jennifer: And your favorite piece, do you have a favorite piece? Or favorite pieces?  

[25:22] SongHa: Favorite pieces to listen to or the symphonic works that I don't play?

[25:26] Jennifer: Whatever you want to listen, to play, to… 

[25:31] SongHa: I really adore the orchestral works by Rave. To play, I think I really enjoy playing Shostakovich violin concertos and Prokofiev violin concertos. And they sound very different - but those are my favorite works. 

[25:45] Jennifer: Great. So yesterday at the performance, you did a joint performance with Thijs Biersticker, the artist, where you played, I think four or five Bach movements to help us imagine and feel the path that we can still take. 

In your words, you also mentioned that sound and music as a movement, like you imagine sound or music as a movement. Can you explain that? 

[26:14] SongHa: Yeah. So in order to collaborate with and to react in time, in real-time, with Thijs’ digital work, each of the violin sound affects directly where the movement of the artwork will go. 

And each sound also coming from violin or any other instrument, human voices, always has a start and an end. Each note, regardless of the length, always has a direction. And in musical terms, it helps with the phrasing and the general structure of the piece. 

But in real life performance, I think the note, the music, the sound has quality to direct the mood and the atmosphere of the whole room. And by changing the colors or the characters of one note, it can change the whole direction of the piece into a different atmosphere. 

And that's what I was trying to compare with each drop and each movement of us, as humans and part of society, can change and influence the rest of the notes, in this case, rest of the community. 

[27:21] Jennifer: Right. So it's obviously not the first time we've had an artist here at the Villars Summit, but can you maybe explore a little bit the intersectionality of art and nature as a violinist? 

[27:38] SongHa: So art and nature has always been having a deep connection, starting with composers like Vivaldi and Beethoven with the famous Four Seasons and Pastoral Symphony, they get a lot of inspiration from nature.

And even the instruments that we play - you know, the violin is made of wood, very specific wood from, for example, the strad in the 1700s. And our bows are made of horsetails - so a lot of materials that we use are borrowed from nature. And composers like to explore the sound of nature like bird songs and different kinds of ocean sounds. And so a lot of inspirations were from nature.

And I said briefly yesterday that there is emotion and structure in Bach's music. And I think that also reflects in nature where there are, of course, structures, but things are constantly changing, just like how a live music can be. 

So, yeah, that's what I was trying to explain very briefly before playing. I hope that people would understand, but it's nice to be able to explain, so. 

[28:48] Jennifer: And also for someone who is aspiring to be a professional violinist, or maybe they were also at the point in their career where they don't know whether or not they would choose between being a professional musician versus choosing a different subject, what advice do you have for them? 

[29:12] SongHa: I find it a shame that a lot of musicians like to become (instrumentalists). What I mean is that they like to work very much on the technique of how to be perfect technically on their instrument, regardless of violin, viola, piano, tuba, everything. 

But I think it's important to, in the end, remember what we do it for, to be the perfect sound maker or an artist. I think it's easier to think like an instrumentalist. I can call myself a violinist, of course. I like to think (of) myself (as) more of an artist with a more creative, personal voice. And in order to have (the) ability to have interpretative decisions and more inspirations for others and for yourself, is to go out and explore the rest of the world, not just, of course, practice by yourself in the room. 

Yeah, I think it's important to experience as many different kinds of live experiences, but as well as also in music, to play a lot of chamber music, learn how to interact with other musicians. There's so much you can learn outside of classrooms and lessons. 

And I would want to basically advise to never say no to different kinds of opportunities and be always open because you never know what kind of inspirations and learnings you're going to get from each experience. So that would be my primary advice.   

[30:34] Jennifer: And also as a soloist, I imagine you spend a lot of time alone, practicing by yourself versus working as a violinist with the philharmonic orchestra. Is that a lonely path, sometimes you feel? 

[30:50] SongHa: It is, for sure. So I've started to travel a lot more in the past two years, so I'm still in the very beginning stages for (a) career that could last for 40, 50 years.

It is very hard knowing that you just go from hotel to hotel with a suitcase or from airports and the people you meet, even though you connect very well in two, three days, you have to go to another country or city that you don't know when you're gonna see next. 

And it's important to invest in a hobby that you can take with you that you can de-stress because it's a lot of stressful moments on stage. So you need to learn how to take it out, otherwise it's gonna just build up. 

One of the most important things I'm realizing now is to take care of health, even though early mid-20s is very young. Putting an effort to be healthy, in a good condition, then you can always deliver performance is much better. 

I sound like a grandma, but…

[31:45] Jennifer: No, you don't. (chuckles)

[31:46] SongHa: Sleeping, good food and a lot of exercises. I think that's really important. 

[31:51] Jennifer: Yeah, I think both physical and mental health, that's very important. 

[31:56] SongHa: When you have things to do and you know that there are daily routines, you feel less lonely in the hotel. You can do stretches, work out and go for a walk, and keep yourself doing something. 

[32:05] Jennifer: How do you prepare yourself when you're really nervous? I don't know when your first performance was on stage in front of a large audience, but how do you prepare yourself when the nerve kicks in? 

[32:18] SongHa: That's a really good question.  

Actually. I think my first really big stage for me to play with an orchestra, I think it was when I was 16. It was in London Royal Festival Hall for the finals of the Menuhin competition. So it's around 2,500 people. And even though, I mean, it's good to have not overthinking personality for that. 

But of course I was. As the concert time was getting closer, I started to get really nervous. But then I told myself, I mean, this historical hall, how many people have gone through this? And they always deliver performances and audiences are there to support and to enjoy rather than there to judge and (I was) thinking, what can go wrong? 

I have this sentence to say, all the others did it, so why can't I? Why can't you do it? Of course, you can. And if it's going to happen anyway, then it's kind of your loss if you're nervous or if you're anxious about it, because at the same time it's happening, and you might as well just enjoy it. This kind of extreme optimistic thinking really helps to get going. 

And luckily I don't get too nervous before most of the performances, but when I do, when the nerves kick in, I just say, can you cancel it now? Probably not. So why don't you just go and enjoy it? It's kind of like a self-talk.  

[33:32] Jennifer: And what are some of the great conductors that you've worked with when you perform with the orchestra?  

[33:38] SongHa: I think the good qualities of conductors come from the unspeakable trust. So you know that if you throw different kinds of ideas on stage spontaneously, they have your back and they can always bounce back. And it's just kind of more of a chemistry that you don't need to speak about, but you just kind of get it from each other's musicality.

And I've been really lucky with recently Anthony Hermus, who's the director of the Belgian National Orchestra. And he was really invested in really getting to know what my ideas were and just trying to prepare and offer the most comfortable situation for the soloists and then while responding back with the kind of ideal sound with the whole orchestra. 

And it was a very positive experience for me before and after. Also, (he’s) a person to click with very easily and just a lovely person in general. 

[34:33] Jennifer: And is there a reason why you decided to be a soloist versus working as part of an orchestra? 

[34:39] SongHa: It was kind of a natural path. I think the competitions that I've been doing, I did it as a challenge for myself or a goal to work for. But those kinds of stages are kind of spotlighted on soloist career. So it felt very natural to go and do these concerts also as a reward or for invitations. 

And I think it suits my personality really well. I like to be creative, but I like the spontaneous moments of it. But when you work with other people, it can't always be that you just kind of act in the ways that you want to in that moment.

So when I play chamber music, I try tone it down or sometimes in orchestra. But I think to like a sustainable career for me is the solo career, along with, of course, other kinds of music making, but primarily, I think it's a personality thing.   

[35:31] Jennifer: So if you were not to do classical music, and you were to form a band, what music would you play? 

[35:41] SongHa: Oh, non-classical. I would love to be a jazz saxophonist. I would love to be that. But actually, normally when I consider, oh, if I'm not doing music, if I'm not doing violin, I would probably like to step out of the music scene and do something else completely different. 

[35:59] Jennifer: But if you were to play the saxophone in jazz, you'd have to play with the band. 

[36:04] SongHa: I mean, jazz, I think it's a different kind of…

[36:05] Jennifer: Well, I guess you have a lot more spontaneous moments in jazz.

[36:11] SongHa: I also like the collaboration in classical music, but just most of the repertoire that I like requires different kinds of ideas and mentality, I think. 

[36:24] Jennifer: And last couple questions. You had mentioned that you read a lot. What do you read and who's your favorite author? 

[36:32] SongHa: I used to read just the classics. I had a list of books that I wanted to read from classic literature, but I started to then find a genre or an author that I really liked. 

Recently, it's been James Baldwin. I think I read If Beale Street Could Talk and then just ran to the bookstore and bought the rest of his books and read it that month. 

And George Orwell I absolutely adored. I read a lot of it when I was very young, in the early teenages, and I don't think I understood it quite well. But for me, it was more of an entertainment of imaginary worlds and something to empathize (with) because it's other people's experience. 

But to re-read these works and really understand the author's background, settings and the political ethos in this case, or ideology, it's really interesting to re-read the works. 

But at the same time, I still like to take some of the books as entertainment. And recently I read Siskind’s Perfume, which was grotesque, and I love eccentric. 

[37:33] Jennifer: And there's a movie also. 

[37:34] SongHa: Yeah, I just discovered, I was thinking of watching it on the flight back tomorrow. 

[37:40] Jennifer: Very grotesque, yeah.

[37:42] SongHa: It's a bit like Master and Margarita. This kind of magical realism that I don't fully understand, but I'd like to get to know more. And some Russian authors. It's mostly British and American authors, I think. 

[37:55] Jennifer: Okay. What are some of your upcoming performances later this year. 

[37:59] SongHa: So next week is in Korea. I play with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, which is the Korean Broadcasting Orchestra - Mozart Concerto. 

And then I fly back immediately and there's a tour in the Netherlands with the Beethoven violin concerto in eight different cities in April. 

And another trip to Korea, I play with my sister in the Lotte Concerto, which we've just done a tour in Belgium last week. 

[38:25] Jennifer: It's the one that plays the cello. 

[38:26] SongHa: Cello. So it will be a continuation of the same program. 

Yesterday I played five movements of Bach, but I will be playing the entire complete partitas of Bach solo violin in the Amare Concert Hall in the Hague later this year. 

And also different kinds of recital programs coming up, so many different projects to look forward to and to stress about. 

[38:51] Jennifer: I'm sure you have nothing to stress about. Do you have a message or a key takeaway from the Villars Summit? I know you've been here since Tuesday, even though you've been practicing at performance, but do you have some takeaways from being here? 

[39:06] SongHa: For sure. I mean, it's so amazing to have these extremely intelligent and amazing people from all over, from their fields and to put them together in one place like this. It's already inspiring. 

But I think yesterday before we went on stage, there was a talk saying that if every one of us in our own field can do something, especially for the environment, in this case in the summit, then each movement counts and you don't have to think generally where it goes, but you just do it from your own field and expertise. And that can really build something big in the big picture.

And I found that really touching and very relatable to be here as an artist, also with ties to transfer the data as emotions into art. And it felt very inspiring that all of us have a role, even though we think we are not so related to each other's fields. 

[40:00] Jennifer: That's really nice and quite meaningful as well. One last question. Do you have a favorite violinist? 

[40:05] SongHa: Most of my favorite violinists are dead. 

[40:07] Jennifer: That's okay. 

[40:08] SongHa: I really love David Oistrach and of course Jascha Heifetz and Sir Yehudi Menuhin. And also it's mostly for their violin playing as well as their life ethos. That's the Yehudi Menuhin that I admire so much. To bring music to society and give back what you've been receiving - I think I really like that. 

[40:34] Jennifer: That's really nice. Well, thank you for joining us today and I wish you the best of luck in the next chapter of your adventure. 

[40:42] SongHa: Thank you so much. Thank you so much for your time. 

[40:44] Jennifer: Thank you, thank you, SongHa.

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The Founder Spirit podcast is a partner of the Villars Institute, a nonprofit foundation focused on accelerating the transition to a net-zero (and nature-positive) economy and restoring planetary health. 

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