About Us

Founder/Executive Director – Younyoung (Younnie) Wall

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Younnie Wall (Younyoung Hur) is a passionate advocate for classical music, believing in its power to enrich the human spirit. In 2010, Younnie founded Classical Music For the World (CMFW), a non-profit organization where she serves as Executive Director. Her mission is to share live classical music and deliver the gift of music to others.

Younnie’s musical journey began in Wonju City, South Korea, where she grew up playing the violin and piano, and her passion for classical music blossomed at Sangji University, where she co-founded and led the Sangji Symphony Orchestra in 1992. This orchestra, composed of non-music majors, performed for the university and the local community. She continued her formal education, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in violin from Chugye University For The Arts in Seoul in 1999. After moving to the U.S. in 1998, she studied with Brian Reagin in North Carolina. Since relocating to Austin, Texas, in 2001, she has been studying with Dr. Eugene Gratovich.

In addition to her work with CMFW, Younnie has served as Vice-President of the Korean American Association of Greater Austin from 2018 to 2019 and has been a professional real estate agent since 2015.

Younnie finds spiritual strength in both her Christian faith and her Asian heritage. She is a member of Covenant United Methodist Church, and her Christian beliefs are reflected in her music mission. She also embraces Buddha’s teachings, finding her “Asian home” at the Fo Guang Shan Xiang Yun Temple in Austin. She lives in Pflugerville, Texas, with her husband, Robyn G. Wall, her Korean parents, and their dog, Sophie.

Artistic Advisor and Artist-In-Residence, Francesco Mastromatteo

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Francesco Mastromatteo is an Italian cellist praised for his “virtuosic and passionate” performances. As a Professor of Chamber Music at the Conservatory “U. Giordano” – Residency of Rodi Garganico in Italy, he performs regularly across Italy, Europe, and the U.S. Since 2010, he has also served as the Artistic Advisor and Artist-in-Residence for Classical Music for the World (CMFW), a non-profit organization in Austin, Texas. Additionally, he was the Artistic Director for the Spring of Harmony Concert Series in Dallas from 2008 to 2013.

As a soloist, in U.S., Dr. Mastromatteo has performed with many orchestras, such as the Meadows Symphony Orchestra, Round Rock Symphony, Temple Symphony Orchestra, and the CMFW Chamber Orchestra. His performances also include J.S. Bach’s solo suites, which he has played in the U.S. and Italy, notably at the Ravenna Festival. An active chamber musician, he frequently performs with pianists Christina Wright-Ivanova, Andrew Wright, Michael Schneider, and Johan Botes. With pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi, he recorded Grieg’s Cello Sonata for Centaur Records.

As an advocate for both historically informed performance and contemporary music, Dr. Mastromatteo has performed with critically acclaimed baroque ensembles like Concerto Italiano and Camerata Anxanum. He has also premiered several new works, including Thomas Sleeper’s Cello Sonata and pieces for solo cello by composers such as Stefano Taglietti and Kevin Hanlon. He has been invited to teach master classes and perform solo recitals at several universities, including the University of Texas at Austin, Southern Methodist University, and Oklahoma City University.

Dr. Mastromatteo holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied under Bion Tsang, and a Master of Music from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Andrés Diaz. Beyond his musical degrees, he also earned a Master’s Degree with Honors in Literature and History of Arts from the Università “Aldo Moro” in Bari. His published works include a volume on composer Umberto Giordano for Bastogi Editrice and an article on Kodàly Solo Sonata for Cello, op. 8 for the International Journal of Musicology.

Artist-In-Residence, Donghyuk Chung

Donghyuk Chung is a classically trained tenor acclaimed for his lyrical sensitivity and dramatic versatility. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University, followed by a Master of Music and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes School of Music in New York. He later completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Opera Performance at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2021, Chung joined the New York-based opera company Teatro Grattacielo as a Young Artist, where he appeared in the title role of Mozart’s Idomeneo in the company’s first international production, presented in Greece. From 2021 to 2024, he was a featured artist with the Butler Opera Center, performing such leading roles as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore, Miles in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up, Spalanzani in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and the Prince in Tan Dun’s Tea: A Mirror of Soul. Chung’s performances have been praised for their vocal elegance, emotional depth, and commanding stage presence, establishing him as an emerging voice. In 2025, he will serve as an Artist-in-Residence for Classical Music For the World, a respected Austin-based nonprofit organization committed to fostering community and healing through classical music.

 

Board Members:

  • Joanna Gutt-Lehr: retired Mathematics faculty at Texas State University, founder and executive director of arts nonprofit Dot Dot Dot Connect, founding member and former chair of the Austin Polish Film Festival and film programmer of the Polish Monthly Film Series in Austin.
  •  Jim Yatsu: International Relation Manager at Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL), former board president of Keep Austin Beautiful, ambassador of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce.
  • Donna Kreuzer, Mental Health (Postpartum Depression) Advocate

Advisers:

Kathi Thomas – Noonday Concert Series organizer at Central Presbyterian Church
Daniel Davila – Training Supervisor & Certified Pastoral Counselor

Event Production:

Yvonne Lim, journalist – PR
Alicja Czajka, owner of Calisto Web Studio – Poster & Program Design

Partnering Musicians:

Eugene Gratovich, violin
Sandy Yamamoto, violin
Michael Schneider, piano
Richard Frazier, Music Director/Conductor of Xiang Yun Community Choir
Joseph Choi, piano
Zoe Chunghui Kim, soprano
Michal Korzistka, piano
DaXun Zhang, Bass Professor at UT-Austin
Todd Oxford, Saxophone professor at Texas State University, San Marcos

Partnering Organizations:

Past Young Music Ambassadors:
Gelsomina Min Meglino, violin & piano
Daniel Meglino, cello & piano
Sage Lee, cello
Jaynie Lee, piano
Chet Fagerstrom, violin & viola
Kaya Fagerstrom, violin & viola
Nick Hammel, violin & viola
Joonhee (John) Cho, violin and piano
Eliana Lee, cello & piano
Scott Avant, trombone
Polaron Posadas, violin