Richard Yongjae O'Neill reunites with Ditto's Jackiw and James Kim for four Brandenburgs; tickets open today
Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill's year-end concert Bach Society is at 7:30pm on 23 December at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. Thirteen musicians including Stefan Jackiw, James Kim and Lim Hyun-jae play Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 5, 6, 4 and 3. General tickets open at 4pm on 17 September, from 120,000 won for R to 50,000 won for B seats, with 10% off until 30 September.
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Key points
- Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill closes the year with Bach Society at 7:30pm on Wednesday 23 December at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center. The programme is four of Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos, Nos. 5, 6, 4 and 3, in 90 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.
- Thirteen musicians take the stage including O'Neill: violinists Stefan Jackiw, Lim Hyun-jae and Park Won-min, cellists James Kim, Byun Sae-bom and Lee Jae-ri, violists Lee Geon-hee and Park Eun-seo, flautists Kim Chae-eun and Jang Hyung-jin, double bassist Yoo Isaac and harpsichordist Woo Young-im.
- General sales open at 4pm on Thursday 17 September through the Seoul Arts Center, NOL Ticket, YES24, Ticketlink and Club Balcony. Seats are 120,000 won for R, 100,000 won for S, 70,000 won for A and 50,000 won for B, with a 10% early-bird discount on up to four tickets per person until 30 September.
Richard Yongjae O'Neill ends the year with Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. According to the Seoul Arts Center's event page and the NOL Ticket product page, Bach Society is a single performance at 7:30pm on Wednesday 23 December at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center, and general tickets open at 4pm on Thursday 17 September. Credia Music & Artists presents it, and paid Club Balcony members can book ahead of the public between 11am and 3pm the same day.
A Busan performance of the same programme is already registered in KOPIS, Korea's performing-arts database. Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Gift: Bach Society [Busan] is at 5pm on Saturday 19 December at the Grand Theater of the Busan Citizens' Hall, with O'Neill and Stefan Jackiw listed in the cast. The Seoul concert follows four days later. As of 17 September the Seoul date is not yet in KOPIS.
The programme is four Brandenburg Concertos. No. 5 in D major (BWV 1050) and No. 6 in B-flat major (BWV 1051) come first, and after the intermission No. 4 in G major (BWV 1049) and No. 3 in G major (BWV 1048) close the evening. Each has a different scoring: the harpsichord takes the lead in No. 5, No. 6 is written for violas and low strings with no violins, two flutes compete with the violin in No. 4, and nine string parts interlock in No. 3. The running time is 90 minutes including a 15-minute intermission, and the concert is open to primary-school age and up.
What the presenter leads with is the line-up. According to the Seoul Arts Center's programme notes, violinist Stefan Jackiw has been a core member of Ensemble Ditto alongside O'Neill since 2008, and cellist James Kim took part in Ditto's final season. For audiences who remember Ditto, this reunites three of its players. Violinist Lim Hyun-jae also joins. The presenter's biography says she stopped performing for more than four years after a traffic accident in 2020, returned in June 2024, and then won the 20th Seoul International Music Competition in 2025 and the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition in the United States in 2026.
The mix of generations is also notable. Cellist Lee Jae-ri, violist Park Eun-seo and flautist Kim Chae-eun are all still teenagers. The presenter says Lee Jae-ri was the youngest-ever winner of the cello section at the 6th Schoenfeld International String Competition in 2025, and that Park Eun-seo met O'Neill, her role model, through the SBS programme Finding Genius in 2019 and studied with him. Violinist Park Won-min, cellist Byun Sae-bom, violist Lee Geon-hee, flautist Jang Hyung-jin, double bassist Yoo Isaac and harpsichordist Woo Young-im complete the group of 13.
There are four price grades: 120,000 won for R, 100,000 won for S, 70,000 won for A and 50,000 won for B seats. Booking by 30 September earns a 10% early-bird discount on up to four tickets per person, and paid Club Balcony members and paid Seoul Arts Center members (Patron, Gold, Blue and Green) get up to 20% off in the same period. Those aged 24 or under get 15% off one ticket for themselves, and people with disabilities and national merit holders get 50% off; anyone unable to show proof at the venue pays the difference. The presenter notes that the Seoul Arts Center, NOL Ticket, YES24 and Club Balcony sell from one linked seat pool while Ticketlink has its own allocation, so the seats available differ by outlet.
The presenter adds that it accepts no responsibility for losses arising from private resales or booking agents. Enquiries go to Credia Music & Artists on 02-318-4301.
Performance details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Richard Yongjae O'Neill Bach Society |
| Date and time | Wednesday 23 December, 7:30pm |
| Venue | Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center (Seocho-gu, Seoul) |
| Running time | 90 minutes including a 15-minute intermission |
| Age limit | Primary-school age and up |
| Presenter | Credia Music & Artists |
| Ticket outlets | Seoul Arts Center, NOL Ticket, YES24, Ticketlink, Club Balcony |
| Ticket status | General sales open at 4pm on Thursday 17 September (paid Club Balcony members 11am to 3pm the same day) |
| Busan date | Saturday 19 December, 5pm, Grand Theater, Busan Citizens' Hall (registered in KOPIS) |
| Enquiries | Credia Music & Artists 02-318-4301 |
Ticket prices
| Seat grade | Price |
|---|---|
| R | 120,000 won |
| S | 100,000 won |
| A | 70,000 won |
| B | 50,000 won |
Until 30 September: 10% early-bird discount (up to four tickets per person), up to 20% for paid Club Balcony and Seoul Arts Center members, 15% for those aged 24 or under (one ticket), and 50% for people with disabilities and national merit holders.
Programme
| Order | Work |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 |
| 2 | Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major, BWV 1051 |
| Intermission, 15 minutes | |
| 3 | Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049 |
| 4 | Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 |
Performers
| Part | Musicians |
|---|---|
| Viola | Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Lee Geon-hee, Park Eun-seo |
| Violin | Stefan Jackiw, Lim Hyun-jae, Park Won-min |
| Cello | James Kim, Byun Sae-bom, Lee Jae-ri |
| Flute | Kim Chae-eun, Jang Hyung-jin |
| Double bass | Yoo Isaac |
| Harpsichord | Woo Young-im |
When do tickets for O'Neill's Bach Society go on sale?
General sales open at 4pm on Thursday 17 September through the Seoul Arts Center, NOL Ticket, YES24, Ticketlink and Club Balcony. Paid Club Balcony members can book between 11am and 3pm the same day.
When and where is the concert?
A single performance at 7:30pm on Wednesday 23 December at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The Busan performance of the same programme is at 5pm on Saturday 19 December at the Grand Theater of the Busan Citizens' Hall.
How much are tickets?
120,000 won for R, 100,000 won for S, 70,000 won for A and 50,000 won for B seats. Booking by 30 September earns a 10% early-bird discount on up to four tickets per person.
What is on the programme?
Bach's Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 5, 6, 4 and 3, in that order, in 90 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.
Is there an age limit?
Primary-school age and up. Under the Seoul Arts Center's rules, only those born in 2019 or earlier (2019 included) or already in primary school are admitted.
