Ji-Hae Park spreads the joy of classical to music to those who might not otherwise hear it — and in the process shows that you can rock out on the violin.

Why you should listen

Ji-Hae Park was on the fast track to violin stardom when she ... paused. Why was it simply her goal to be the best violin player in the world? Was there more to music than that? And thus she began to think differently about how to "play" her life. Now -- along with playing prestigious concert halls, winning prizes and making a new album for Decca called Baroque in Rock -- she makes time to play in hospitals, churches, prisons, anywhere she feels she can reach people with music. Her friendly, entertaining rearrangements of classical music invite new listeners in.

She was named The Respected Korean 2010  for her leadership and influence on the national development. She is playing on the Petrus Guarnerius 1735, Venedig on loan from the German Foundation (Deutsche-Stiftung- Musikleben) since 2003.

What others say

“Watching the radiant violin prodigy, one would never guess that at one time she had battled depression and found solace in her music.” — Korean Jo

Ji-Hae Park’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Ji-Hae Park

Playlist

8 lyrical talks about the violin

May 24, 2013

At age 14, violin virtuoso Ji-Hae Park was accepted to a prestigious music conservatory in Mainz, Germany – even though the school only accepted students 16 and older. By the time she was 17, a German foundation had lent Park a rare Guarneri violin to play, worth millions. But Park’s early fame took its toll. […]

Continue reading
Entertainment

Let classical music rock your world: Ji-Hae Park at TED2013

February 27, 2013

“The TED Salon in Seoul was lit up by this performer, by her extraordinary passion for her music,” says TED curator Chris Anderson by way of introduction. He’s referring to the Talent Search auditions held in 14 cities around the world that provided the conference with 33 speakers this year. And in particular, he’s talking […]

Continue reading
News

Dream!: The speakers in Session 5 at TED2013

February 27, 2013

Before you can create a new world, you have to imagine new possibilities. The speakers in this session are the visionaries who propose that which couldn’t be seen before, and suggest new paths that not only haven’t been traveled yet — but haven’t been thought of. Here are the speakers in this session. Click their […]

Continue reading