Kemper Unplugged: Kimberly Jeong, cello
In conjunction with the exhibition Looking Back Toward the Future: Contemporary Photography from China at the Kemper Art Museum, this program presents a dialogue between a solo suite by J.S. Bach, and a set of Chinese folk songs arranged by Zhou Long, telling stories separated by time and geography through the voice of the solo cello.
Arrive early or stay after to grab lunch at the Museum’s Coffee Bar. Enjoy ice cream sandwiches from Sugarwitch, savory deli sandwiches from Parker’s Table, and pastries from Colleen’s. Members get 10% off your purchase with every visit. Learn more and join here.
These 45-minute concerts are free and open to the public.
Program
A Set of Chinese Folk Songs for Solo Cello, Arr. Zhou Long
Lan Hua Hua (Shaanbei)
Driving the Mule Team (Shaanxi)
The Flowing Stream (Yunnan)
Jasmine Flower (Jiangsu)
A Horseherd’s Mountain Song (Yunnan)
When will the Acacia Bloom? (Sichuan)
A Single Bamboo Can Easily Bend (Hunan)
Leaving Home (Shanxi)
Suite No. 2 by J.S. Bach
Prelude
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Minuet I & II
Gigue
Biography
Kimberly Jeong
Korean Canadian cellist Kimberly Jeong deeply believes in the transformative power of music and its unique ability to connect people across cultures, generations, and backgrounds. She feels honored to share her story with audiences, students, and community members through the music that she loves.
As an active recitalist and a chamber musician, she has performed widely across North America and Europe in venues such as Avery Fisher Hall, National Sawdust, Dutch National Opera, Smetana House, Prague National Theatre, and Wigmore Hall, among others. Her performances have been broadcast on WFMT, CBC Radio, and BBC, and she can be heard on recording projects by Chandos with the Grammy-nominated ARC ensemble, and Linn Records. She has also collaborated with distinguished composers such as John Adams, Hans Abrahamsen, John Harbison, and Steven Stucky.
As an educator, Jeong serves as Director of Strings and Chamber Music at Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked with a number of educational initiatives, including Yale Music in Schools and Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play Program. Her interests include interdisciplinary arts, connecting with new audiences through varied mediums, and expanding access to music education for all.
Jeong holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM), Yale School of Music (MM), and Northwestern University (DMA), with cognates in Musicology and Music Theory. Her principal mentors include Hans Jørgen Jensen and Steven Doane, and she received additional training at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada.