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 Isang Yun Music Society (Germany) and the MATA Festival (USA).      Her works 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,
		Photo © P. Kokoras

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 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 37 countries and 125 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 International Competition 'Jesus Villa-Rojo' (1^st Prize), the European Competition of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki (1st Prize), the Brave New Works Composers Competition (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 a title 'Deconstructing Joy'), with choreography by Professor Kim Gibilisco, in several cities in the US.

     In 2010, her four new works will be premiered in Guadalajara (Spain), Strasbourg (France), Tochigi (Japan) and Paris (France). RESTING IN LIGHT for clarinet and string trio will be first performed by the Ensemble Laboratorio de Interpretación Musical in Guadalajara, Spain. SWEETNESS OF STARS for flute solo written for the Festival Champs Libres 2010 will be first performed by Keiko Murakami during the Champs Libres 2010 in Strasbourg, France. AMABILE SAKI for violin and piano will be first performed by Duo Sonority in Tochigi, Japan. A new work for piano solo will be first performed by pianist Soyeon Kim at the Salle Cortot in Paris, France.

     Current projects include a Sungji Hong portrait concert by Ensemble Linea during the Champs Libres 2010 in Strasbourg, three performances of MISSA LUMEN DE LUMINE with a new film Le Miroir des Eaux by director Seo-ou Choi and a new dance work by Universal Ballet Company (Choreographer: Yeon-ok Baek) in Seoul Arts Centre, a performance of BLACK ARROW by Ensemble Offspring during the ISCM World Music Days at the ABC Centre in Sydney, Greek Premiere of THE BEETHOVEN FRIEZE for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet by Orpheus Soloists in Thessaloniki, European Premiere of LUMINOUS FLUX for flute, oboe, clarinet, piano, violin and violoncello by Caput ensemble under the direction of Gudni Franzson at the Icelandic Academy for the Arts in Reykjavik, two performances of BLACK ARROW for bass clarinet and electronics by Yuko Fukumae during Elektramusic (White Card Series) in Strasbourg, a performance of BLACK ARROW by Harry Sparnaay during X FESTIVAL MUJERES EN LA MUSICA DE GETXO in Getxo (Pais Vasco) and a performance of SHADES OF RAINDROPS by ensemble NOISE during the SoundON Festival of Modern Music in La Jolla (California).

     She studied composition at the Hanyang University in Seoul. She subsequently completed her MMus 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 as well as International mastercourse and workshop for conductors and composers with Peter Eötvös and Zsolt Nagy in Herrenhaus Edenkoben.

     Sungji Hong lives as a freelance composer in Thessaloniki, Greece.