Sean Yongjoo Lim practices the violin for close to six hours a day. Here, he plays Braham’s Contemplation by Heifetz, a romantic piece. Photos by Marissa Beale/The Connection
Hours of practice are adding up and paying off for Sean Yongjoo Lim, a McLean High School sophomore who was recently selected to compete in the International Boris Goldstein Violin Competition in Bern, Switzerland. The 15-year-old will be among the youngest in a group of 30 violinists chosen from around the world to compete, and he will be the youngest competing from the United States. Currently, Lim studies with Amy Beth Horman in her in-home studio, which attracts dozens of talented young violinists, who must audition to get in.
“I still remember the first thing he said during his audition,” said Horman. “I could tell he wanted to tell me something other than hello. He said, ‘Oh I’m sorry, have you seen the sky today?’ And I had not been outside all day! He was only 13 at the time and I thought, this is a very different kid. When he plays, he has a dreamer way about him that is very captivating, and as soon as he played, what he said made sense. It’s nice to have people in your life that remind you to slow down.”
A serious musician but still a kid at heart, Lim is lighthearted about the stresses of competing in January.
“I’m most looking forward to the food – my mom and I love cheese and chocolate!” laughed Lim, who was also surprised to learn he was the youngest competing from the States. “I’m really excited for the experience.”
He started playing the violin when he was 8 years old but said he did not become serious about the instrument until he joined the Horman Violin Studio. He has performed at notable venues that include Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art and others. He made his solo musical debut two years ago with the Kostrama Symphony Orchestra in Russia, and this past summer was accepted into the Meadowmount School of Music, the same music camp that educated world-renown violinists Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman and many others.
He practices an upwards of six hours of day, and takes two of his high school classes online to accommodate his practice schedule.
“He’s practicing an impressive amount of hours,” said Horman, “but it is not unheard of. It is what students who are competing nationally and internationally do to prepare this much literature.”
“I’m currently working on 'Devil's Trill' by Tartini, Beethoven's Sonata No. 5, Bloch's Sonata No. 1 and 2, pieces arranged by Heifetz, Paganini's Caprice No. 4 and No. 23, Sibelius's Violin Concerto, and so on," said Lim naming just some of the pieces, and he becomes very serious when he starts to play.
“My friends really push me. As we get better I don’t want to get left behind. I incorporate memories I have of them into my music.”
Lim plans to continue with music in the future. To follow Lim’s progress and learn more about the competition in January, visit http://www.boris-goldstein-competition.com/english/02/index.htm.