Biography

American conductor Scott Yoo is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Mexico City Philharmonic and the Music Director of Festival Mozaic. He is also the Host and Executive Producer of the acclaimed PBS series Now Hear This presented by Great Performances – the first show about classical music on American prime time TV in 50 years. He is the Conductor of the Colorado College Music Festival, and the founder of the Medellín Festicámara, a chamber music program that brings together world-class artists with underprivileged young musicians.

Mr. Yoo has led the Colorado, Dallas, Indianapolis, New World, San Francisco and Utah Symphonies, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in their Elliott Carter Festival and in his Carnegie Hall debut. In Europe, he conducted the English Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, the Britten Sinfonia, L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Odense Symphony and the Estonian National Symphony. In Asia, Mr. Yoo has led the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and the Seoul Philharmonic and Busan Philharmonic in Korea. Mr. Yoo recently conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in recordings for Sony Classical.

A proponent of the music of our time, Mr. Yoo has premiered 79 works by 41 composers. With the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, Mr. Yoo recorded Mark O’Connor’s American Seasons for Sony Classical; John Harbison’s chamber orchestra works with soprano Dawn Upshaw for Bridge Records, nominated for a National Public Radio Performance Today Award; and song cycles of Earl Kim with sopranos Benita Valente and Karol Bennett for New World, named a Critics Choice by the New York Times. Other recording projects include complete orchestral works of Earl Kim with the RTE National Orchestra of Ireland for Naxos; the works of Carter, Lieberson, and Ruders; and the cycle of Mozart Piano Concertos.

As a violinist, Mr. Yoo has appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, New World Symphony, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He has also made guest appearances with chamber music festivals throughout the United States, including Bargemusic, Boston Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Laurel Music Festival, New Hampshire Music Festival, and Seattle Chamber Music Festival.

After beginning his musical studies at age three, he received First Prize in the 1988 Josef Gingold International Violin Competition, the 1989 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and the 1994 Avery Fisher Career Grant. In 1993, Mr. Yoo and his colleague Richard Lim founded the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra. He conducted the ensemble in its subscription series at Jordan Hall in Boston and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY, and on tour at such venues as Avery Fisher Hall and the 92nd Street ‘Y’ in New York and the Library of Congress in Washington.

Scott Yoo was born in Tokyo and raised in Glastonbury, CT. He attended Harvard University, where he received a bachelor’s degree. He studied violin with Roman Totenberg, Albert Markov, Paul Kantor and Dorothy DeLay, and conducting with Michael Gilbert and Michael Tilson-Thomas.

Bio Photo: Angie Cortes