Ensemble Ditto Storms Across Korea

The ultimate boy band of the classical music world.

Members of the ensemble Ditto from left: pianist Lim Dong-hyek, 24; violinists Stefan Jackiw, 23, and Johnny Lee, 29; cellist Patrick Jee, 30; double bassist DaXun Zhang, 28; and violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, 29. This photo is also part of their modeling campaign for Theory Korea. / Courtesy of Credia

Last year, a group of young men took the local music scene by storm. At chamber group Ditto’s Seoul concerts, die hard fans darted for the door before the last song came to an end so they could line up for autographs. They’re like the Shinhwa of the classical music scene.

Ditto is back for their second season, which is expected to be ``bigger and better,’’ said violinist Johnny Lee, 29, at the opening night performance Wednesday in Seoul’s hip Hongdae area.

The chamber group has certainly gotten bigger, with pianist Lim Dong-hyek, 24, violinist Stefan Jackiw, 23, and double bassist Daxun Zhang, 28, joining Lee, violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill, 29, and cellist Patrick Jee, 30.

Mozart’s Duo for Violin & Viola K.423 and Beethoven’s ``Razumovsky’’ String Quartet No. 9 filled the small hall where indie rock bands usually perform. Dressed comfortably in jeans, the young musicians conversed afterward with their mostly female fans. When asked if they had girlfriends, Jackiw exposed his single status and the crowd shrieked with excitement.

Jackiw, who, apart from being an up and coming artist in the United States, is noted here for being the grandson of celebrated writer Pi Chun-duk. ``I’ve read both his essays and his poems and spent a lot of time with him in the summer. He was a fan of classical music and we talked a lot about literature and paintings… Spending time with him and talking about music influenced my music,’’ he said, adding that he learned about great musicians like Herbert von Karajan and Anne-Sophie Mutter through him.

Outside the hall, large posters and stationary featuring the youthful members were on sale _ rather than CDs. While there is sharp criticism about the overly commercial ``star’’ marketing tactics, the group’s public appeal is incontestable. Au contraire to stereotypes that chamber music is boring, the group secured a tour across nine cities, beginning with Daejeon on Sunday all the way down to Busan (June 20), then back in Seoul (June 28) and finally Inchoen (July 2).

Ditto is recognized for reaching out to a wider audience, and the tour includes stopovers at elementary schools in Busan and Daegu. Many non-classical music fans learned to appreciate the genre because of these Korean and Asian-American musicians, indicated by the group’s online fan community. Fans flocked to Hoam Art Center for Lee and Jee’s recitals Thursday and Friday, and concertgoers kept glancing back during breaks as other Ditto members were seated at the rear.

Chamber music seems to invigorate the members’ lives as well. ``I usually get really nervous about going onstage, but chamber music relieves me of that kind of stress. In addition to making great music, I’m just excited about working and hanging out with guys my age,’’ said Lim, who is receiving positive feedback on his newly released album (Bach’s ``Goldberg Variations,’’ EMI). ``Plus, I don’t have that many guy friends so this is very nice,’’ he laughed. The pianist cooked doenjang jjigae (bean curd stew) for the members in his New York apartment.

Lee, the only ethnic Korean member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said although June is vacation for him, playing with Ditto ``doesn’t feel like working.’’ Jee also expressed his excitement about collaborating with good friends.

The highlight of the group’s program this year is Schubert’s Piano Quintet ``The Trout.’’ The Austrian composer wrote it when he was 22, and classical music legends like pianist Daniel Barenboim, violinist Itzhak Perlman, violist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Jacqueline du Pre and double bassist Zubin Mehta jammed onstage together for the piece in their youth.

O’Neill said he thought long and hard about deciding on a piece that would be satisfying for a diverse audience, including both fans and people who don’t know much about classical music.

The Seoul performances will take place at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., June 28, at the Seoul Arts Center near Nambu Bus Terminal station on subway line 3. Call 1577-5266.

``Ditto'' is also the title of the book violist O'Neill wrote.