Founding Story

 

It all began with a yellow book: Jürgen Uhde's Beethoven: 32 Klaviersonaten. Written by a piano pedagogue, it was the most practical and inspiring resource I found during my first Beethoven cycle in Seoul. I wanted other pianists and students in Korea to have access to it, so I formed a translation team of four, and in 2016, Seoul National University Press published our first translated volume.

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As AI translation tools rapidly advanced, they raised real questions about the value of our slow, manual process, and further publication came to a halt. Still, the collective study of this book was too enriching to abandon. Over time, our gathering evolved into a colloquium sharing Beethoven's genius. Our small team soon grew to nearly forty members, who began calling themselves "Beethovenian."

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Just as the Beethovenian started brainstorming future projects, my own journey took a major turn. I accepted a faculty appointment at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, making the bittersweet decision to leave Seoul National University, where I had served as a tenured professor for 24 years. In the summer of 2023, I relocated to Baltimore, and the Beethovenian initiative came with me.

 

Early 2026, Beethovenian Collective was founded in the United States. Headquartered in Baltimore, we've kept Beethovenian Korea on as our global partner, while building two new chapters in the Twin Cities and San Diego.

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Why Beethovenian

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Ludwig van Beethoven is impossible to capture in one sentence. That is part of the reason why there are countless scholars, composers, performers, and music lovers alike—who have spent lifetimes exploring him. His life, his era, his music were all pure drama. He was an architect of the highest order, yet his genius lay in building immense musical structures from the simplest means. His mind was consistently unique and bold, though never without conflict and struggle. That mastery paved the way for the future of classical music.

 

As "Beethovenian," we join the long legacy of exploring Beethoven’s way, gathering in informal spaces that pair performance with conversation. Beethoven's music sits at the center of every program we present, our anchor for celebrating the wider classical tradition. Classical music should never feel closed off. It should be something anyone can walk into, listen to, and feel part of.

 

Borrowing Beethoven's own words, we hold onto his hope to "connect noble minds for a better world."​

 

HieYon Choi

Founder & Artistic Director​