Duo Vert

The multilingual Bass-Baritone Jeeyoung Lim studied at the Korea National University of Arts with Prof. Hans (Hyunsoo) Choi, Hyuk Lee, and So Young Lee.

He has recently finished his Konzertexamen degree at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ Berlin under the tutelage of Prof. Scot Weir, Prof. Thomas Quasthoff and Prof. Wolfram Rieger, where he also finished his Masters degree with the highest mark.

Jeeyoung Lim has participated in masterclasses given by Thomas Hampson, KS Birgitte Fassbaender, DBE Ann Murray, Helmut Deutsch, Graham Johnson, Benjamin Appl, Charles Spencer, Barbara Bonney, Henk Neven, DBE Imogen Cooper and Amanda Roocroft.

He has also taken part in festivals such as: Leeds Lieder Festival, Lied Basel Festival, Eppaner Liedsommer Festival, and most recently the Oxford Lieder Festival. He was invited again by KS Brigitte Fassbaender to give a Lied-Matinee at the Eppaner Liedsommer and also by Thomas Hampson to give recitals at “Pierre Boulez Saal” in Berlin for multiple years as a part of the “Schubert-Week''. He has also given concerts together with numerous world-class musicians such as: Thomas Hampson, Thomas Quasthoff, Graham Johnson, Malcolm Martineau, Daniel Cohen and Antonello Manacorda.

Jeeyoung Lim has won numerous prizes such as: “Prize for Most Promising Future Talent” at the „Das Lied“ International Song Competition, the “Britten Pears Young Artist Program Prize” at the Wigmore Hall Song Competition to become the first asian singer to win a prize at the competition, and most recently 3rd place and a special prize at the Helmut Deutsch Lied Wettbewerb.

This year Jeeyoung has opera performances and song recitals which include a song recital with Helmut Deutsch at the Ehrbar Saal in Vienna and a CD production with B-Record in France.

Métis-Canadian musician Cole Knutson is celebrated for his “mastery of the art of playing with lightness and finesse, his sensitivity of touch and intensity” (Olyrix, Paris). Growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada, Cole completed his undergraduate studies in classical saxophone performance with Allen Harrington. He then earned a Master’s Degree in Piano Accompaniment Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London on a full scholarship, studying under Julius Drake and Eugene Asti. While at Guildhall, he played for the studio of Yvonne Kenny and regularly worked with Professor Rudolf Piernay. Additionally, Cole served as a staff accompanist, performing in lessons, classes, masterclasses, and school performances. Currently, Cole is based in Berlin and Canada, continuing his studies with Professor Wolfram Rieger at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler.

 As an active recitalist, Cole has performed in prestigious venues such as the Großer of the Konzerthaus Berlin, Heidelberger Frühling's Liedfestival, Carnegie Hall, the Pierre Boulez Saal as part of the Schubert Woche, Wigmore Hall, LSO St. Luke’s, the Barbican, Montréal’s Salle Bourgie, Paris’ Salle Cortot & Musée d'Orsay, and the Oxford Lieder Festival. He frequently performs across Europe and North America, has premiered several new works, and has been featured on the BBC, CBC, Radio France, Deutschlandradio Kultur, rbbKultur, and Radio Swiss Classic.

This season, Cole enjoys a residency at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and was selected as a scholar at the Académie Orsay-Royaumont in France. He is the artistic ambassador for Creative Kids Saskatchewan, a charity providing arts funding to children in his home province. In 2023, Cole participated in SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, led by Renée Fleming. In fall 2022, he became a scholar at the Liedzentrum Liedakademie in collaboration with Heidelberger Frühling and the Pierre Boulez Saal, under the guidance of Thomas Hampson. 

Cole is a two-time recipient of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Awards and has been supported by The Art Song Foundation of Canada, where he has also been published. He is a laureate of the 2017 and 2018 Franz Schubert Institut in Baden bei Wien, Austria, and was part of the last class offered by the founder, the late-Deen Larsen. As a classical saxophonist, Cole was awarded Second Prize at the 2017 National Music Festival of Canada and made his Carnegie Hall debut at age twenty. He served as principal saxophonist of the National Youth Band of Canada for half a decade. 

His artistic endeavors have been continuously supported by Métis Nations Saskatchewan, the Gabriel Dumont Institute, SK Arts, the Guildhall Trust, the Art Song Foundation of Canada, The Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, and Der Freunde und Förderer der Hochschule für Musik Berlin.
 

https://www.coleknutson.com/about