This year's guest conductor is Soon Hee Newbold. Soon Hee was born in Seoul, Korea and adopted as an infant by the Newbold family.  She spent her childhood, along with two sisters, in Frederick, Maryland.

Soon Hee began playing piano at age five and violin at age seven.  She won many prestigious competitions and performed as a concert artist at an early age.  As a soloist and in professional orchestras throughout the world, Ms. Newbold has appeared in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Disney World, Aspen, and Tanglewood and in countries like Scotland, England, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

In high school, Soon Hee’s interests included science, languages, and drama.  She studied German, French, and Russian and completed an internship in AIDS and Cancer research at the National Institute of Health in Ft. Detrick, Maryland.  Ms. Newbold received her Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University where she concentrated on film scoring, orchestration, and audio production.

Upon graduation, Soon Hee worked in entertainment for Walt Disney World as a contractor, stage manager, and professional musician as well as performing in the various symphonies in Florida.  She also produced albums and wrote for many recording projects and ensembles.  As an actress, Soon Hee expanded her experiences to film and television.  She got her first break in the film, “The Waterboy,” starring Adam Sandler, and first television role in the family comedy, “Camp Tanglefoot.” 

Sadly, Ms. Newbold’s mother was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, a terminal, devastating genetic neurological illness for which there is little treatment and no cure.  Soon Hee wrote the popular song “Endless Dreams,” and dedicated it to those affected by Huntington’s to spread awareness and hope.

Soon Hee Newbold currently works in Southern California with her husband.  She is involved in many film, television, and commercial projects as a producer, actress, composer, and musician.  Published through the FJH Music Company, Soon Hee’s compositions can be heard around the world in film, orchestras, and other performing groups.  Outside of work, Ms. Newbold enjoys martial arts and weapons training and has black belts in Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kigumdo.