Fuegokoori is an international music ensemble that showcases a blend of cello and guitar while exploring diverse musical elements from around the world. Founded in 2003, the group promotes cross-cultural exchange through high-quality chamber music performances and educational outreach. The ensemble features a unique 9-cello formation called 'cellish,' led by Robert Choi, and emphasizes a wide repertoire that spans from classical to contemporary genres.

1. Fuegokoori : Cellish
Presentation for Hosting
Chamber Music Concerts
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
and Singapore

2. About fuegokoori
fuegokoori is a fresh new concept which combines opposing forces
like cello and guitar, and features musical elements from around the
world. "fuego" means fire in Spanish, whereas "koori" represents
ice in Japanese.
fuegokoori symbolizes the explosive synergy of elemental opposites
like fire and ice. This concept came to its fruition at the
first fuegokoori concert on October 31, 2003 at the famed
Musikhalle in Hamburg, Germany.
Now an internationally acclaimed ensemble, fuegokoori explores
crossovers of extreme emotions and soul-searching themes,
featuring obscure works of more celebrated composers like
Paganini, Sarasate, Piazzolla and de Falla, directly contrasted with
works by leading Japanese and Chinese composers like Mayuzumi
Toshiro and Zhou Long. Experience the refreshing juxtaposition of
Asian calm and tranquility with flamenco's exuberance and fire!

3. • Our mission: To promote classical music and cross-cultural
exchange to audiences all over the world by providing the
highest quality concerts of string and piano chamber music
ranging from Bach to Piazzolla.
• As an international music group, our focus is on our unity of
purpose, to transcend borders, giving our listeners a
timeless and unforgettable experience that will long be
remembered.
• As dedicated educators as well as performers, we strive to
have Q&A sessions as well as informal talks at every event.
There is nothing like exchanging ideas and thoughts with
peers, contemporaries and students alike.

4. 9-Cello Ensemble “Cellish”
This rather unusual but exciting combination - an ensemble of nine
cellists led by Robert Choi - performs an eclectic mix of classical as
well as Latin numbers, exploring combinations of 1-9 cellos in
repertoire ranging from Grieg’s Holberg Suite to tango by Piazzolla.
Cellish also features heavy metal music, including arrangements of
music by Metallica and Megadeth, all-acoustic and all-fun!

5. Robert Sang-Ung Choi, international concert cellist,
currently makes his home in Singapore. Born to music-
loving parents, Robert began learning music at the tender
age of 3. After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Cell and
Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan, Robert
decided to pursue a career in music, studying at Indiana
University, the Eastman School of Music and at the
Salzburg Mozarteum, where he completed the Artist's
Diploma with highest distinction. Robert has developed a
pureness and clarity of tone and depth of expression that
have brought him rave reviews as soloist, recitalist and
chamber musician.
No Borders. From Bach to Piazzolla, Jazz to Modern Music. Robert´s interest in
different types of music – jazz, tango, modern classical, traditional classical and pop – is
evident in his performance with various artists. His sheer breadth of projects included
performance with drummer Ritchie Pratt for ”Jazz in Honolulu“; Jazz at Leopoldskron
featuring Afro-American Spirituals; Chamber music with various ensembles, including
the Salzburg Soloists and the Austrian Ensemble for New Music (ÖENM); and Luigi the
Barnyard Mouse, which features reading and performance of his own story and music.
His most recent CD release: fuegokoori : Beneath the Surface, features classical, Latin
and jazz styles in combinations of cello/guitar and cello/guitar ensemble.

6. Born into a family of artists and musicians in Oslo
( Norway ) in 1976, Anders Clemens Øien started
playing guitar at the age of 12. After studying guitar
at the College of Music in Drammen, Norway and
the State Academy of Music in Oslo, Norway with
Jan Danielsen, he continued his studies in Den Haag
( Holland ) and Barcelona ( Spain ) with Zoran Dukic,
Sadahiro Otani and Alex Garrobé.
Anders has won many prizes in international
competitions, but his greatest success to date came
in 2003, when he became the first Scandinavian
winner of the highly famed "Andrés Segovia Competition" in Granada, Spain. His
performances have been widely broadcast on television and radio in Brazil, Norway and
Spain. Anders has performed concerts in many countries in Europe, Brazil and
Kazakhstan and has participated in the most important music festivals in Norway. He is
also an active chamber musician, collaborating regularly with singers, flutists and
violinists.
Both his first two CDs, “Romanza” and “Sonatas”, have received excellent reviews.
Anders is often praised for his brilliant technique, exquisite musicality and his
expressive, vibrant performance style. His latest release is titled, “Recuerdos de
Tárrega”, and features music of the great guitarist/composer, Fransisco Tárrega.

7. Click to Hear Click to Hear
“Nightclub 1960”
Artist Press Reviews “Samba”
• Fiery and sensitive...this combination, riveting and fascinating on the one
hand, transfigured and full of a sense of longing on the other. This was not
an experiment any more, it was pure music.
• Choi is a true artist with the cello...full of the joy and zest of life.
• … because in Øien’s hands the sound is almost magical; his expressive
range is like a dream in which the nuances overlay each other until it is
impossible to imagine a more exquisite soundscape than the one he
creates.
• Øien plays astonishingly well. The scope of his eloquence lies in his
exploitation of the instrument’s register. The contrasts are vast when they
are produced in one instrument. All one has to do is listen, and then
discover.
• It is now a hundred years since the death of Spanish guitarist and
composer Francisco Tárrega, and Øien’s performances of his repertoire are
absolutely superb. In the quiet sections he almost torments the listener,
holding back until we are eagerly anticipating the next note.