San Francisco Conservatory of Music Names Wonhee Bae Chair of String and Piano Chamber Music

On 19 August 2026, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) announced that violinist Wonhee Bae will assume the position of Chair of String and Piano Chamber Music. In addition to this leadership role, Bae will continue to teach violin and chamber music in the conservatory’s pre‑college program.

Bae’s new responsibilities will encompass the entire chamber‑music curriculum. She will coordinate faculty and student ensembles, develop collaborative projects, and broaden performance opportunities for both undergraduate and pre‑college musicians. Her dual appointment underscores SFCM’s commitment to integrating professional‑level instruction with academic rigor.

The appointment follows Bae’s distinguished career as the first violinist of the Esmé Quartet, a string quartet founded in 2016 at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. The group has graced world‑renowned stages, including the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Wigmore Hall in London, the Lucerne Festival, the Verbier Festival, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and L’Auditori in Barcelona. Their triumph at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition—first prize and four special prizes—catapulted the quartet onto the global stage.

The Esmé Quartet records exclusively for Alpha Classics. Their debut album, To Be Loved, blends Beethoven, Unsuk Chin, and Frank Bridge and earned a Diapason d’Or. A second release focuses on Benjamin Britten, and the forthcoming third album, Nui, is slated for September 2026.

As a soloist, Bae has performed with the Russian National Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Iași Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonie der Nationen, and the Orchestre des Lauréats du Conservatoire de Paris. She has also collected prizes at the Georges Enescu International Competition, the Isang Yun Competition, the Lipizer International Violin Competition, and the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians.

Bae earned her degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the Royal College of Music, the Conservatoire de Paris, and the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, studying under Felix Andrievsky, Boris Garlitsky, Svetlin Roussev, and Mihaela Martin.

In a social‑media post, Bae expressed gratitude for the chance to lead SFCM’s chamber‑music community and to give back to the music that has shaped her career. She highlighted her enthusiasm for the Chamber Tuesday series, which will bring chamber‑music majors together with guest artists throughout the year.

SFCM’s appointment of Bae signals a clear strategy to strengthen its chamber‑music program and expand educational opportunities for both undergraduate and pre‑college students. The new chair will begin her duties immediately, with her first semester scheduled to start in September 2026.