Myung-wha Chung
Encyclopedia
Myung-Wha Chung is a Korean
cellist.
, South Korea
, to a musical family. Her younger sister is the violinist Kyung-wha Chung
, and her younger brother is the pianist/conductor Myung-whun Chung
.
She finished her high school studies at the Seoul Arts School, and made her debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, before continuing her studies in the USA.
She was a pupil of Leonard Rose
at the Juilliard School
in New York City
between 1961 and 1965. Following that, she then studied with Gregor Piatigorsky
at the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles
between 1965-8.
She made her U.S. concert debut in San Francisco in 1969, and her European debut at Spoleto, Italy, in 1969. In that same year, she also had the honor of performing at the White House
.
In 1971, she won the Geneva International Music Competition
(cello division).
Besides her international concert career as a soloist, playing with the world's leading conductors and orchestras, she also plays chamber music partnering her siblings as the Chung Trio
.
Her cello is the 1731 "Braga" Stradivarius.
in New York, and head of the cello faculty at the Korean National Institute of Arts in Seoul.
Her highlight recordings include:
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
cellist.
Biography
Myung-wha Chung was born in 1944 in SeoulSeoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, to a musical family. Her younger sister is the violinist Kyung-wha Chung
Kyung-wha Chung
Kyung-wha Chung is a Korean violinist.- Biography :Kyung-wha Chung's musical career began at the age of three. Her fame in the seventies and eighties was at the top level, and ranked alongside the great violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman...
, and her younger brother is the pianist/conductor Myung-whun Chung
Myung-Whun Chung
Myung-whun Chung is a South Korean pianist and conductor.His sisters, violinist Kyung-wha Chung, and cellist Myung-wha Chung, and he at one time performed together as the Chung Trio. He was a joined second-prize winner in the 1974 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Chung studied conducting at...
.
She finished her high school studies at the Seoul Arts School, and made her debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, before continuing her studies in the USA.
She was a pupil of Leonard Rose
Leonard Rose
Leonard Rose was an American cellist and pedagogue.Rose was born in Washington, D.C., his parents were immigrants from Kiev, Ukraine...
at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
between 1961 and 1965. Following that, she then studied with Gregor Piatigorsky
Gregor Piatigorsky
Gregor Piatigorsky was a Russian-born American cellist.-Early life:...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
between 1965-8.
She made her U.S. concert debut in San Francisco in 1969, and her European debut at Spoleto, Italy, in 1969. In that same year, she also had the honor of performing at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
In 1971, she won the Geneva International Music Competition
Geneva International Music Competition
The Geneva International Music Competition is a music competitions held in Geneva, founded in 1939 in the Geneva Conservatory for a wide variety of instruments, voice, conducting, and chamber music.-See also:* List of classical music competitions* World Federation of International Music...
(cello division).
Besides her international concert career as a soloist, playing with the world's leading conductors and orchestras, she also plays chamber music partnering her siblings as the Chung Trio
Chung Trio
The Chung Trio is a Piano trio consisting of Korean siblings, each of whom is an internationally renowned soloist. The trio consists of:* Myung-whun Chung * Kyung-wha Chung * Myung-wha Chung...
.
Her cello is the 1731 "Braga" Stradivarius.
Teaching
She is professor of cello at Mannes College of MusicMannes College of Music
Mannes College The New School for Music is The New School university's music conservatory. While the university's main campus is located in Greenwich Village, New York City, Mannes maintains its main academic building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan....
in New York, and head of the cello faculty at the Korean National Institute of Arts in Seoul.
Awards
- San Francisco Symphony Award, 1967
- First Prize (cello), Geneva International Music Competition, 1971
- National Order of Cultural Merit, South Korea, 1992
- Excellence 2000 Award ("for outstanding contribution to American society in the field of music"), US Pan-Asian Chamber of Commerce
Discography
Myung-wha Chung has recorded for the major classical music labels, both as a soloist and as the Chung Trio.Her highlight recordings include:
- Beethoven - Piano Trios (EMI, 1994, reissued 2007)
- Beethoven - Archduke Trio (Deutsche Grammophon, 1998)
- Brahms/Mendelssohn - Piano Trios (Decca, 1995)
- Tchaikovsky - Rococo Variations. With the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. (Decca, SXL 6955 (411 210-1)
Extra-musical activities
- Goodwill AmbassadorGoodwill AmbassadorGoodwill Ambassador is a collective term sometimes used as a substitute honorific title or a title of honor for an Ambassador of Goodwill; but, most appropriately for a generic recognition, it is a job position or description that is usually indicated following the name of the individual recognized...
for the UN Drug Control Program (UNDCP), appointed 1992 - Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in Korea
- Special envoy for the City of Seoul