Hahn-Bin, the 23-year-old graduate of Julliard and protégé of the eminent violinist Itzhak Perlman, wants to wake up the sleeping world of classical music with his own blend of music, fashion, and stage presence. He told the New York Times, “I have always been a performance artist who sings through the violin.”
His boundary crossing does not stop at his musical performance. “I have never identified as Asian or American, boy or girl, classical or pop,” said the queer artist. Of course, this was not always accepted by those around him. In an interview with the L.A. Times , Hahn-Bin discussed the challenges of his early years, “Certainly growing up I’ve had to deal with peoples’ poisons. And that always tends to begin with ignorance… Ignorance about human sexuality, ignorance about minorities, ignorance about race, gender. And because I was born a strange fruit, I always had to deal with it.”
Today he is breaking all the rules- performing in a wide range of venues, blending classical and contemporary styles of music, wearing whatever he likes. Get to know Hanh-Bin below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psq5cQenrG0[/youtube]
