Artists for Beethoven
We are looking forward to welcoming Sanghee Sania Cheong (violin), Stefan Kropfitsch (cello), Lilyana Kehayova (cello) and Sangwook Park (piano) on the stage of the Beethoven Society.
More details here!

Biography of Sanghee (Sania) Cheong
Sania Cheong started to play the violin at the age of 6. Since then she has dedicated herself to becoming a professional violinist.
She won many awards in various national competitions including; Kookmin daily newspaper, Eumyeon, Music Journal and Strad. Of particular note were her outstanding performances in the Hanseo University Competition and in the Brahms Competition in which she won first Prize.

At the age of 10, Ms. Cheong played the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, demonstrating her remarkable talent and musicality at a young age. As a result of her success in numerous competitions, she has played with orchestras such as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean American Youth Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra of St.Petersburg, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MAV, Pskov Philharmonic Orchestra Russia, Kharkov Philharmonic orchestra, Rome Symphony Orchestra, Nürnberg Symphony orchestra of Germany in various world renowned concert venues, such as Smetana hall, Rudolfinum in Prague, Hercules hall in Munich, Philharmonie in Berlin and Goldensaal in Musikverein in Vienna.

Ms. Cheong has taken part in several international music festivals, including Leipzig Music Festival, France Pontlevoy Festival, Beethoven Festival in Teplice and the 1st, 2nd Great Mountains Music Festival where she was recognized as a superior player. In the Nagoya Music Festival in Japan, she was awarded a prize in the competition.

In February, 2010, Cheong, including the Italian pianist Mr. Marco Schiavo and the great cellist Mischa Maisky were invited by Nuernberg Symphony Orchestra to play the Beethoven Triple concerto. In July 16, 2011, She was invited to play the Concerto again with cellist Mischa Maisky and his daughter Lily Maisky with Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Cesky Krumlov International Music Festival. They also performed the Brahms Double Concerto which was filmed by Czech national broadcast and released on live DVD.

On the 11th of May 2014, Sania performed Vivaldi´s Four Seasons with Kalisto Ensemble in Novomatic Forum, Vienna, consisting of members from the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra.

Ms. Cheong has completed her master degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and continued her study in Moscow with Sergey Kravechenko at Tchaikovsky Conservatory. From October 2016 she will start teaching at University for Music and Performing Art in Vienna.

Biography of Lilyana Kehayova
Bulgarian cellist Lilyana Kehayova is the Principal Cello of chamber orchestra "Camerata Orphica" in Vienna and general secretary of International Music Academy Orpheus Vienna. She has been honored to perform chamber music concerts with musicians such as Mario Hossen (violin), Gerard Causse (viola), Boris Mersson (piano), Wladimir Kossjanenko (viola), Dominique de Williencourt (cello), Raffaele Mallozzi (viola), Romain Leleu (trumpet) and others. She has performed in venues such as Musikverein (Vienna), Athenaeum (Bucharest), Rudolfinum- Dvorak Hall (Prague) and Palau de la Musica Catalana (Barcelona).

In 2014, Lilyana was invited to participate in the prestigious "La Musicale/Williencourt Croisirama" festival, where she performed six solo and chamber music concerts in six different countries on the Danube river coast. In April 2016 she played a duo recital with Mario Hossen in the spring concert cycle of Botin  Foundation in Santander.   In March 2017, Lilyana is invited to play the Triple Concerto from L.v.Beethoven with the famous Austrian pianist Johannes Kropfitsch under the direction of the conductor Marius Stravinsky.

Ms. Kehayova has won numerous solo and chamber music competitions throughout Europe among which first prize of the Vienna Conservatory Competition "Fidelio" (2013), first prize of "Concertino Prague" (Czech Republic, 2006), and others.  In 2012 she was honored with the grand scholarship of the Austrian foundation "Alban Berg". Currently, she is pursuing her Masters degree in cello performance in the Vienna Conservatory studying with Lilia Schulz-Bayrova.

Biography of Stefan Kropfitsch
In early years begin of cello lessons with Prof. Tobias Kühne, pupil of Andre Navarra. Diplom with highest distinction on the “Hochschule für Musik” of Vienna. Winner of numerous prizes as the Dr. Karl Böhm Prize of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Stefan Kropfitsch performs as Soloist worldwide with such orchestras as Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Festival Strings of Lucerne, Orchestra of Südwestdeutschen Rundfunk, Niederösterreichischen Tonkünstlern, Philharmonic Orchestra of Ljubljana, Philharmonic Orchestra of St. Petersburg Radio Symphony Bratislava, Rome Symphony. Numerous Radio recordings with EMI and Gramola.

Stefan Kropfitsch is cellist in the world wide known piano trio “ Jess-Trio- Wien”. With his ensemble he played concerts in all important music centers of the world. Since 24 years he performs in an own concert-cycle with his Jess-Trio in the “Wiener Konzerthaus”. Numerous LPs and CDs with the labels EMI and Gramola. Nummerous dedications of contemporary composers and intensive collaboration with Herbert Willi, Alfred Schnittke, Rainer Bischof, Heinrich Gattermayer, Thomas Daniel Schlee, Meinhard Rüdenauer, Gerold Heitz, Carlo de Incontrera, Tomasz Skweres, Julia Purgina, u.a m.

Since 2004 he is Professor for Violoncello at the University of Music and performing Arts in Vienna. 2006 he was appointed as Director of the Department of Strings of the University of Music in Vienna. Member of Jury in nummerous international Competitions (Gradus ad Parnassum/ Österreich, Osaka International Music Competition, The International Competition „Premio Trio die Trieste“, International Antonio Janigro Competition, Internationaler Musikwettbewerb Pacem in Terris- Bayreuth, Prima la Musica, International Brahms Wettbewerb Pörtschach). He plays on a Joseph Gagliano Cello 1766, Naples, Italy.