The San Francisco Symphony has filled two important vacancies in its roster, hiring a pair of young musicians as principal harp and principal flute.
Harpist Katherine Siochi, 29, plans to join the orchestra in time for the Sept. 22 opening gala. She comes to San Francisco after a brief stint as principal harp with the Minnesota Orchestra, which followed posts with the Kansas City Symphony and the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida.
In January, Yubeen Kim, 26, plans to leave his position as principal flute with the Berlin Concert House Orchestra after seven years to relocate to San Francisco.
The appointments, announced Thursday, Aug. 17, mark an important step toward bringing the Symphony back to full strength after awave of retirementsduring the COVID-19 shutdown of 2020-21.
There are still a number of prominent vacancies to be addressed, including the posts of associate concertmaster, associate principal second violin and associate principal flute. But the chance to join this orchestra and to work with Music DirectorEsa-Pekka Salonen, who is about to begin hisfourth seasonin the post, is clearly still a draw.
“The San Francisco Symphony has an amazing reputation in the orchestra world,” Siochi told the Chronicle by phone from Minneapolis. “I think that’s partially because of the city that it’s in, and also because of the leadership of Esa-Pekka Salonen.”
Speaking by phone from his home in South Korea, Kim echoed the sentiment. “He is my dream conductor. He is famous in Europe, so I’m looking forward to working with him and with the musicians who gave me such a warm welcome.”
Both musicians advanced through a series of blind auditions, then played with Salonen and the orchestra. Kim took part in the orchestra’sall-Beethoven programat Davies Symphony Hall in June.
Siochi,另一方面,尚未publicl玩y with the Symphony. Instead, she joined Salonen and the orchestra for a private session in which they played a number of excerpts in which the harp is prominent, including music by Mahler, Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov.
“It’s a mix of things that give them a chance to hear your ensemble skills,” she said, “and then others that are more soloistic, to see whether you can do something creative and interesting with it.”
Siochi grew up in various locations, including Fairfield until the age of 5, but primarily Iowa City. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, which she says convinced her that urban life was for her.
“I came to realize that I just really loved the energy and the inspiration that comes from living in a bigger city,” she said. “I’ve liked living in the Midwest, but I’m really excited to be back in a busier and more diverse city.”
Siochi will succeed Douglas Rioth, who retired in December 2021 after a 40-year career with the orchestra.
“In the harp world, you have to take every opportunity that comes up. There’s only one spot in each orchestra,” she said of the role. “Often the principal harpists will stay in these positions for many decades, especially if it’s a good job and they like being there. So when an audition is announced, you just have to go for it.”
Kim succeeds Tim Day, who stepped down in June 2021 after 14 years with the orchestra. A native of South Korea, Kim traveled to France at 16 to earn degrees in Lyon and Paris, before being hired in Berlin. This will be his first extended stay in the United States.
“It’s a big challenge and a big change in my life,” he said, “but I’m young and kind of free. And as a Korean, America is actually a dream come true.”
Correction:An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the orchestra where harpist Katherine Siochi is currently the principal. It is the Minnesota Orchestra.
Reach Joshua Kosman:jkosman@sfchronicle.com;Twitter:@JoshuaKosman