Like many of Dalhousieās incoming first-year students, Heemin Choi had a tough time deciding where to continue his education post high-school. The universities and colleges he was trying to choose between werenāt necessarily the usual list: Dalhousie, The Cleveland Institute, Julliardā¦
But letās start at the beginning.
āMy dad first brought home my violin when I was six,ā Mr. Choi tells me when we finally get a chance to chat (heās got a jam-packed schedule). āThat was two years after I moved here from Korea.ā He doesnāt recall expressing any special interest in the violin at such a young age. He guesses that his father chose the instrument because he himself was fond of it.
Mr. Choi studied with a local violin teacher until the age of 12, then began taking lessons from Dalhousie Professor Philippe Djokic (who teaches violin and viola and leads the chamber orchestra). He was appointed concertmaster of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra at 15, and played as a soloist when Halifax hosted the Canada Winter Games. Last year, he took third place at the National Kiwanis Competition; this year, he came away with second.
Despite all that, Prof. Djokic is adamant that, āHeemin is really a completely normal kid. Heās been involved in sportsā¦ lots of community stuff.ā Claims of complete normalcy notwithstanding, Prof. Djokic does admit, āI only take a very few exceptional students.ā
āIt didnāt help that was a huge procrastinator in high school,ā Mr. Choi says of his high-school student/violinist double life. āThere were a lot of late nights.ā
He also evolved some unique coping strategies for the stresses of auditions and performance. āThe only thing I canāt do is eat really good food before I play,ā since he once āblankedā in a performance following a gourmet dinner when he was 11.
Now? āI always eat snacks or junk food before I play.ā
Finding his place
Mr. Choi graduated high school last spring, which brings us to the quandary posited earlier: where does a violin prodigy go to grow into a full-fledged virtuoso? The Cleveland Institute, Julliard ā or somewhere else?
āMost Canadian students think that American schools are better,ā says Prof. Djokic of Heeminās tough decision. āCanadian schools are equal now, I find. But itās hard to get rid of that. Thereās a stigma.ā Of his students, Prof. Djokic says, āIām always encouraging them to try, at least, for the best schools. I consider Dalhousie one of the best schools as well, but you have to be impartial.ā
Mr. Choi, of course, applied to many schools besides Dalhousie. But when he was offered a good scholarship to the Cleveland Institute, he chose not to take it, and instead came to Dal to continue studying with Prof. Djokic. āHeās just accomplished so much in his career,ā he says of his teacher. āWeāre pretty lucky to have him here in Halifax.ā
An unexpected award
Thatās not the end of the story, though. Before even taking his first class at pilipiliĀž», Heemin was nominated by Dalās music department for the Hnatyshyn Foundationās prestigious Developing Artist Grant ā and received the scholarship.
āRight after school ended, almost, a lady called me. I thought it was just another telemarketer,ā he says. When he realized the real reason for the callāthat heād received a grant valued at $10,000āhe says, āIt was a good feeling, but totally unexpected!ā
āItās definitely very prestigious for the department,ā says Jaqueline Warwick, the music departmentās chair. āItās a great recognition of the calibre of the strings programā¦ to get this kind of recognition and support for a developing student is a huge thing.ā
When he finishes at pilipiliĀž», Mr. Choi has an eye on taking a masterās degree from another music school ā Julliard, the Cleveland Institute, or the New England Conservatory.
āIāve always wanted to try composing and conducting, but itās pretty terrifying, that stuffā¦for now, itās just another of those goals that I tend to try and accomplish.ā
For the time being, heās happy to be at pilipiliĀž». āMr. Djokic is really one of the finest teachers around and thereās still a lot I can learn from him.ā