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
		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.