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Sungji HONG (1973,
Korea)
Sungji Hong’s creative output includes works ranging from solo
instruments to full orchestra, as well as choral, ballet and
electroacoustic music. Her musical language is colourful with a
wealth of imagery and exquisite delicacy.
Her works have been commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation
(Harvard University, USA), the Tongyoung International Music
Festival (Korea), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (Korea),
Keumho Asiana Cultural Foundation (Korea), the Foundation for
Universal Sacred Music (USA), the International Isangyun Music
Society (Germany) and the MATA Festival (USA), and are
regularly performed at international festivals and in major
concert series throughout Europe, the United States and Asia by
leading ensembles and orchestras such as the Soloists of the
Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Nieuw Ensemble of
Amsterdam, the Ensemble TIMF, the Ensemble Linea, the Brave New
Works, the Arditti String Quartet, Earplay,
Next Mushroom Promotion,
the Radio
and Television Symphony Orchestra of Belgrade, the Orchestra of Slovenian National |
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Photo
© P. Kokoras |
Theatre Opera and Ballet,
The Orchestra of Colours, Thessaloniki
State
Symphony Orchestra,
the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Suwon
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Masan Philharmonic Orchestra,
Renaissance Voices &
Con Spirito,
the New York Virtuoso Singers, the BBC Singers and Trio Mediaeval.
Her music
has been performed in over 35 countries and 122 cities
at such venues as Carnegie Hall (New York), the Kennedy Center (Washington
DC), Gewandhaus (Leipzig), Konzerthaus (Berlin), San Clemente Church
(Venice), Flagey (Brussels) , Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Temple Church
(London),
Merkin Hall
(New York), Herbst Theatre (San Francisco), Megaro Musiki (Athens),
the Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam),
Cantacuzino Palace (Bucharest) and the National Theatre 'Opera and Ballet' (Ljubljana). Her music has been widely broadcast in more
than 13 countries (in over 30 cities) around the world and has been recorded
and released on the Dutton label and by ECM Records.
She has won the European
Competition of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki (1st Prize), the
Temple Music Composition Prize (1st Prize), the Crwth Competition (1st
Prize), the international competition for original ballet music at the ISCM
World Music Days – Slovenia (1st Prize), the Montserrat International Camera
Music Composition Competition (1st Prize),
The 2008 Salvatore Martirano Composition Competition
(2nd Prize),
Dimitris Mitropoulos International Competition
(2nd Prize), the Theodore Front Prize (IAWM),
the Yoshiro Irino Memorial Prize (ACL), the Christian Fellowship of Art
Music Composers Scholarship, and several other prizes and awards.
Her recent CD release Stella Maris on
the ECM New Series (ECM 1929), performed by the vocal ensemble ‘Trio
Mediaeval’, received critically acclaimed reviews and reached the top ten at
Billboard Classical Chart and Itunes classics. Since it was released in
September 2005, her Missa ‘Lumen de Lumine’ has been performed in
over 60 cities around the world, at the International Music Festival Bath,
the Festival International de Musiques Sacrées, the Ultima Oslo Contemporary
Music Festival, Gernrode MDR Musiksommer, the David Oistfest Festival, the
Venice Music Festival, the Ettiswil Festival, the Bergen International
Festival, the Kuoroespoo International Choral Espoo Esbo Körfestival and
others. Also the Agnus Dei from the Missa ‘Lumen de Lumine’ has been
performed many times as a ballet, with choreography by Professor Kim
Gibilisco, in several cities in the US.
She studied composition
with Kyungsun Suh at the Hanyang University in Seoul, where she graduated
with honours in composition. She subsequently completed her MMus with Robert
Saxton and Paul Patterson at the Royal Academy of Music in London and her
PhD in composition with Nicola LeFanu at the University of York. She has
participated in various workshops and masterclasses such as Voix Nouvelles (Royaumont)
and Darmstadt where she studied with Brian Ferneyhough, Jonathan Harvey,
Theo Loevendie, Tristan Murail and Toshio Hosokawa.
In 2008, she
received five premieres in New York (US), Darmstadt (Germany), Takefu
(Japan) and Seoul (Korea).
'The Lord is my Shepherd’
commissioned by the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music was
performed by The New York Virtuoso Singers in New York and 'Linear
Momentum’ written for Duo Konflikt was first performed in Darmstadt
during the 44th International Summer Courses for New Music. ‘Luminous
Flux’ was first performed at the Takefu International Music Festival
2008 and ‘Prismatic' for Piano and Orchestra commissioned by the
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra was performed by pianist Soo-yeon Yim under the
direction of Roland Kluttig at the Sejong Chamber Hall in Seoul.
Her latest work 'Flash’ for violin
solo commissioned by Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation was premiered by
Hae-Sun Kang (concert master of the Ensemble InterContemporain) at the
Kumho Art Hall in Seoul.
Future
projects include
new pieces
for alto flute and
electronics to be performed by English flutist Carla Rees, for double
bass and piano to be performed by Basso Moderno Duo and for oboe and
String trio to be performed
a young oboe virtuoso
Dimitris Kitsos.
Sungji Hong lives as a freelance composer
in Thessaloniki, Greece.
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