• A total of more than 490 million won from 22 annual events has been donated to IVI to support vaccine development and delivery

August 12, 2024, SEOUL, Republic of Korea — The 20th anniversary edition of the ‘Lee Sang Hee & Friends Concert with IVI’ was held successfully at Youngsan Art Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, Republic of Korea, on August 11.

The annual Lee Sang Hee & Friends Concert with IVI featured over 100 performers: ‘Lee Sang Hee & Friends’ composed of professional musicians and university students, ‘Lee & Little Friends’ comprising elementary school students, and ‘Lee & Junior Friends’ comprising middle and high school students. More than 300 people including Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, IVI staff, concert sponsors, volunteers, and concertgoers participated in the two-hour event.

Violinist Lee Sang Hee and Friends have been holding benefit concerts in support of IVI every year since 2004, conducting a total of 22 events over the past 20 years, including during the pandemic. The cumulative donations have exceeded 490 million Korean won (350,000 US dollars), and all proceeds have been donated to IVI to support vaccine development and delivery efforts.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary, IVI presented special appreciation plaques to Mr. Woo Byung-seo, CEO of SIMON, who has supported the concert every year; Mr. Song Jin-ho, CEO of Songwoo Trading, who continues to play the violin at the age of 92; and Mr. Jeong Yong-heon, CEO of Eden Classic, the organizing agency, as well as to Lee Sang Hee & Friends. Additionally, student member Jeong Jaewoon designed the concert’s poster and created design T-shirts and eco-bags as souvenirs, and student member Kwon Yu-jin created name tags to raise funds, donating all proceeds to IVI.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said, “Lee Sang Hee & Friends Concert with IVI is marking a historic milestone. For 20 years, this concert has presented beautiful classical music while providing students and ordinary people with opportunities to engage with IVI and support the development and delivery of vaccines for global health. I express my profound gratitude to Lee Sang Hee, who serves as IVI Giving Ambassador, the Friends members as IVI Giving Messengers, and countless donors and volunteers for their partnership and dedication.”

Violinist Lee Sang Hee graduated from Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School and the National Conservatory of Music in Paris. She currently teaches at Chung-Ang University, Chung-Ang University Graduate School, Dongduk Women’s University, Sungshin Women’s University, and serves as a visiting professor at the International Music Academy of Colombes in France. She also teaches at Sangmyung University and Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School.

Violinist Lee Sang Hee said, “The world overcame the pandemic crisis thanks in large part to vaccines. However, many children in developing countries are still suffering due to epidemics of vaccine-preventable diseases amid poor sanitation and hygiene. To support the development and delivery of life-saving vaccines for humanity, we will continue to organize this concert with IVI in the years to come beyond the first 20 years.”

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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that also achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 42 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, Austria, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.

CONTACT

Aerie Em, Global Communications & Advocacy Manager
+82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@www.ivi.int