February marked Esther’s New York Philharmonic debut, where she performed Bernstein’s Serenade, a concerto-like work in five movements. Under the baton of Santtu-Matias Rouvali, the audience exploded with applause between each movement.

According to the New York Times, “…the audience’s response was as if she were a player of Paganini-like sensationalism, with applause and cheers between each of the piece’s five movements.”

Following her performance and a standing ovation, Esther came back to the stage to give an encore. Bachtrack writes “Yoo’s encore was Vieuxtemps Souvenirs d’Amérique, a crowd-pleasingly virtuosic set of variations on Yankee Doodle. It was frequently interrupted by cheers and hollering, which seemed appropriate for a Jersey girl who made good.”