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School of Music

Adjunct Instructor

Dr. Sun-Young Gemma Shin shin picture

Dr. Sun-Young Gemma Shin  is an active performer on both baroque and modern violin as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra leader. A former Fellow and Concertmaster of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra in Alabama and presently Associate Concertmaster of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and often performs alongside fellow Baroque specialists in the baroque ensemble Concerto Urbano, under the direction of Charlotte Mattax Moersch.  Dr. Shin recently joined the violin section of the Venice Symphony Orchestra (FL), under director Dr. Troy Quinn.

Dr. Shin is a frequent guest artist and an adjudicator. She has been invited to perform and present newly composed solo violin works at the College Music Society’s National (2017) and Regional Conferences (2015), was a guest artist at University of Chicago’s ConTempo Series, Kent State University and Illinois State University, and a featured soloist with the St. Patrick’s Youth Orchestra. Her concertmaster solo from Stacy Garrop’s “ Mythology Symphony ” live performance was hailed and aired numerous times through Central Illinois’ NPR station, WILL-FM. Her most recent Naxos recording of the Czerny Piano Trio was aired on BBC. She has adjudicated the St. Boniface Young Artist Showcase (FL), Blount Slawson Young Artist Competition (AL), Paul Rolland Memorial String Competition (IL), Peoria Symphony Orchestra Guild Young Artist Competition (IL), Montgomery Symphony Orchestra Fellowship Competitions (AL), and Illinois State University’s Concerto Competition. She has collaborated with major chamber ensembles such as the St. Petersburg Quartet and Pacifica Quartet.  As an orchestral violinist, she has performed with ensembles such as Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Euro-Asian Orchestra, and has graced the stages of major concert venues such as the Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center, Kumho Art Center, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Getty Center in Los Angeles, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana, Symphony Center in Chicago, and Carnegie Hall among others. 

Equally at home as a devoted teacher, Shin has taught at Illinois State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Huntingdon College (AL), Illinois Wesleyan University Preparatory Program, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (MI), Illinois Summer Youth Music, and Illinois Chamber Music Symposium.  Students of Dr. Shin have won competitions, as well as admissions to undergraduate/graduate programs with scholarships at Oberlin College, DePaul University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Colorado-Boulder, Butler University, and Northwestern University; and her former students hold positions in professional orchestras around the United States and in Korea.

Dr. Shin earned degrees from Oberlin College (BM), Northwestern University (MM, Certificate in Performance), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA) under the tutelage of Roland and Almita Vamos, Gregory Fulkerson, and Simin Ganatra.  

Her upcoming 2018-2019 season highlights are a collaboration with Nancy Johnson (Baroque Violin) and other baroque musicians in Indianapolis and a concert series in Korea at the Sacred Hearts Convent and Maria Callas Hall in Seoul, collaborating with Dr. SeungMin Ha (piano) and a Warburton Performing Artist, Dr. Aaron Romm (Trumpet).