Orchestra
2024
Jaebong Rho
Composer-in-Residence
His piece «morii, for orchestra» addresses the collective desire for the return that has been recently observed across global societies. Furthermore, in his piece «winter fall summer spring and⋯⋯, for mixed choir and piano», he incorporates the structural concept of infinite retrograde repetition. Additionally, his recent work, «i want to go home, for orchestra» delves into the subject matter of dementia and raises questions about aging society.
He has been active as a member of the Busan Composers Yard and has also organized and served as a representative of the Young Composers’ Forum in Busan. He was selected for the artist grant project by the Busan Cultural Foundation in both 2021 and 2023, and he held two portrait recitals with their support.
His works have been premiered by prominent performers in Busan, and for two consecutive years, they were selected for the Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival. Additionally, he was chosen as the commissioned composer for the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, premiering «morii, for orchestra». Furthermore, he participated in the Academy Composer Atelier of the Korean National Symphony Orchestra, receiving masterclasses with Texu Kim, Dieter Ammann, and Aaron Jay Kernis. Recently, he was appointed as the Composer-in-Residence of the Korean National Symphony Orchestra for the 2024/25 season.
As a film music composer, he worked with the Busan Cinema Center and the Korean Academy of Film Arts and participated in about 20 feature and short films. The short films received invitations to festivals such as the Indie Film Fest Busan, Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Jeongdongjin Independent Film Festival, Chungmuro Short Film Festival, and the Fukuoka Independent Film Festival. The feature films earned invitations to the Busan International Film Festival, Barcelona Asian Summer Film Festival, and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
He received a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Pusan National University and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Composition at Yale School of Music.
2022
Yie Eun Chun
Composer-in-Residence
Commissioned by KNSO, Chun premiered the opera the Red Shoes (2020) and the opera Brahms (2021), and as she was chosen as a composer for the modern music series Ars Nova commissioned by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017, she presented her work. Chun has won various international awards such as a prize from the ISCM Pan Music Festival (2016), the Georgina Joshi Composition Prize (2014), the Young Composer Prize at the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2013), and the Bernard Rogers Composition Prize (2010).
In addition, she was appointed as a composer-in-residence, earned a full scholarship at the Tanglewood Music Festival in 2013, and was chosen as a young composer of the Omaha Symphony, USA to premier an orchestral music. Furthermore, her music has been performed by leading domestic and foreign groups including Ensemble TIMF, IU New Music Ensemble, Indiana University Orchestra, Ensemble Mise-En, Ensemble Connect, Ensemble 2e2m, Breakout Ensemble, etc., while she continues her composition activities by collaborating with various ensemble groups and performers.
In 2022, Chun won the prize in the music category at the 1st Young Artists Awards by the National Academy of Arts ROK, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and recently commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she composed a violin concerto. Currently, Chun is teaching composition and music theory at Seoul National University and Yonsei University.
Jaebong Rho
Composer-in-Residence
The purpose is to pose questions to the audience or present conclusions as an individual.
His piece «morii, for orchestra» addresses the collective desire for the return that has been recently observed across global societies. Furthermore, in his piece «winter fall summer spring and⋯⋯, for mixed choir and piano», he incorporates the structural concept of infinite retrograde repetition. Additionally, his recent work, «i want to go home, for orchestra» delves into the subject matter of dementia and raises questions about aging society.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from Pusan National University, he has been active as a member of the Busan Composers Association and the Busan Composers Yard. Additionally, he has organized and serves as a representative of the Young Composers’ Forum in Busan. He was selected for the artist grant projects by the Busan Cultural Foundation in 2021 and 2023, holding two portrait recitals.
His works have been premiered by prominent performers in Busan, and for two consecutive years, they were selected for the Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival. Additionally, he was chosen as the commissioned composer for the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, premiering «morii, for orchestra». (((Furthermore, he participated in the Academy Composer Atelier of the Korean National Symphony Orchestra, receiving masterclasses with Texu Kim, Dieter Ammann, and Aaron Jay Kernis. Recently, he was appointed as the Composer-in-Residence of the Korean National Symphony Orchestra for the 2024/25 season, with premieres scheduled for «i want to go home, for orchestra» and a new work.)))
As a film music composer, he worked with the Busan Cinema Center and the Korean Academy of Film Arts and participated in about 20 feature and short films. The short films received invitations to festivals such as the Indie Film Fest Busan, Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Jeongdongjin Independent Film Festival, Chungmuro Short Film Festival, and the Fukuoka Independent Film Festival. The feature films earned invitations to the Busan International Film Festival, Barcelona Asian Summer Film Festival, and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
2017
Paul Yeon Lee
Composer-in-Residence
"… stormed the heavens with sweeping melodic gestures, romantic yearning"- The Washington Post
"… put an emphasis on shimmering, shivering effects"- The New York Times
"… deserves many more performances… It’s a perfect example of how lyrical and richly textured a modern work can be"- Strings Magazine
"… mystical atmosphere"- Fanfare Magazine
"… stunning coloristic effects"- San Francisco Classical Voice
"… scintillating piece... deserves critical attention and establishes Lee as a composer to watch"- Times Herald-Record
"… showstopper... A towering, often ferocious work… genuine… Lee is keeping an old flame very, very alive while fueling it with something that could only have been invented in this century."- Lucid Culture
Paul Yeon Lee, a Korean-American composer, has been recognized as one of the "25 Contemporary Composers Helping to Push String Music to New Heights" by the international Strings Magazine in 2012.
Lee's commendable honors and awards include two prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters - Charles Ives Scholarship in 1999 and Walter Hinrichsen Award in 2005, composer-in-residence at Flushing Town Hall, and New York City Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program in 2011, two grants from the Korean Cultural Service NY, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Composer Workshop, the ACO Whitaker New Music Reading Session, the Symphony-in-C Young Composers’ Competition (1988-1999), and annual ASCAP Plus Awards.
From 2013, Lee has participated in three festivals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York: Festival Luna (2013), Experience Korea (2014), and Spotlight Asia: Big Cat (2015). Furthermore, he has been a fellow at the Symphony Space Festival, SONiC FESTiVAL in New York, Maîtrise de Radio France in Paris, Trail Mix Chamber Concerts, the World Music Festival Millennium Park in Chicago, the Taranaki International Festival of the Arts in New Zealand, the 10th Adam Chamber Music Festival in New Zealand, the Cutting-Edge Concerts Festival, the American Composers Alliance’s Festival of American Music, MacDowell Colony, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the SCI National Annual Conference in New York, in addition to many conferences and festivals in universities and conservatories.
A member of ASCAP, Lee studied composition at San José State University, and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His principal teachers are Leslie Bassett, Bright Sheng, William Bolcom, Pablo Furman, and Allen Strange.
2016
Texu Kim
Composer-in-Residence
As an arranger, Kim has participated in producing various musicians’ albums including Sumi Jo, Shin Youngok, Harpist Kwak Jeong, Daegeum master Kim Jeong-seung, Violinist Kim Suyeon, Violinist Kim Chee-yun, Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Bassist Minje Sung, Pianist Yeol Eum Son, and Musical actor Yang Joon Mo. His arrangements were also featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, the Insbrook Music Festival, the Peace & Piano Festival, music classes with Daejin Kim, New York Classical Players, the Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall, Opus 5, Ola Viola Sound, and so on.
Texu Kim, who also won a silver medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, studied chemistry and composition at Seoul National University and then composition at its Graduate School. He also holds a doctorate degree in composition from Indiana University. His principal teachers are Claude Baker, Sven-David Sandström, David Dzubay, Jin Eun-sook, Jeon Sang-jik, and Seo Jeong-eun. Currently, Kim is teaching music theory at Portland State University and Lewis & Clark College.
Myunghoon Park
Composer-in-Residence
Park had already won top honors at various Korean competitions such as the Joongang Music Concours, ACL-Korea Young Artists Concours, and Concours in Composition by the Contemporary Music Society in Seoul, and consequently received a state grant for studying in Germany. While studying and living in Germany, his works were performed and introduced at various music events and festivals. As such, he was invited to perform in Berlin through Komponistenstudio sponsored by Ensemble Modern, received an award in composition at Gaudeamus in the Netherlandss, and subsequently performed in Amsterdam. His works were also performed at New Talents Biennale Cologne, Koreanisches Musikfest in Deutschland (Frankfurt in 2015, Hamburg in 2016), and the Modern Music Festival in Witten, Germany, recording of which was released on CD.
Some of his works were performed by Ensemble Modern, IEMA-Ensemble, Ensemble Handwerk, MAM.manufaktur für aktuelle Musik (Germany), and nieuw ensemble (Netherlands), PluralEnsemble (Spain), while his works for a large orchestra were performed by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ewha Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been actively commissioned by Deutschlandfunk (German Radio Station), Tonhalle Düsseldorf (concert hall in Düsseldorf), Stadt Köln (City of Cologne), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and other professional performers.
Park received his B.M. in Composition from Hanyang University, and completed a diploma degree, receiving his M.M in Composition and Electrical Music Composition from Hochschule für Musik Köln. Then, he graduated summa cum laude in Exellenzstudiengang Komposition at Robert Schumann Musik Hochschule Düsseldorf, and studied under Johannes Schöllhorn, José M. Sánchez-Verdú, Rebecca Saunders, Michael Beil, York Höller, and Zong-gu Yi.
Currently, he is teaching at Hanyang University, and working as a composer and artistic director of Ensemble Eins (contemporary music ensemble).
2015
Texu Kim
Composer-in-Residence
As an arranger, Kim has participated in producing various musicians’ albums including Sumi Jo, Shin Youngok, Harpist Kwak Jeong, Daegeum master Kim Jeong-seung, Violinist Kim Suyeon, Violinist Kim Chee-yun, Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Bassist Minje Sung, Pianist Yeol Eum Son, and Musical actor Yang Joon Mo. His arrangements were also featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, the Insbrook Music Festival, the Peace & Piano Festival, music classes with Daejin Kim, New York Classical Players, the Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall, Opus 5, Ola Viola Sound, and so on.
Texu Kim, who also won a silver medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, studied chemistry and composition at Seoul National University and then composition at its Graduate School. He also holds a doctorate degree in composition from Indiana University. His principal teachers are Claude Baker, Sven-David Sandström, David Dzubay, Jin Eun-sook, Jeon Sang-jik, and Seo Jeong-eun. Currently, Kim is teaching music theory at Portland State University and Lewis & Clark College.
Paul Yeon Lee
Composer-in-Residence
"… stormed the heavens with sweeping melodic gestures, romantic yearning"- The Washington Post
"… put an emphasis on shimmering, shivering effects"- The New York Times
"… deserves many more performances… It’s a perfect example of how lyrical and richly textured a modern work can be"- Strings Magazine
"… mystical atmosphere"- Fanfare Magazine
"… stunning coloristic effects"- San Francisco Classical Voice
"… scintillating piece... deserves critical attention and establishes Lee as a composer to watch"- Times Herald-Record
"… showstopper... A towering, often ferocious work… genuine… Lee is keeping an old flame very, very alive while fueling it with something that could only have been invented in this century."- Lucid Culture
Paul Yeon Lee, a Korean-American composer, has been recognized as one of the "25 Contemporary Composers Helping to Push String Music to New Heights" by the international Strings Magazine in 2012.
Lee's commendable honors and awards include two prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters - Charles Ives Scholarship in 1999 and Walter Hinrichsen Award in 2005, composer-in-residence at Flushing Town Hall, and New York City Con Edison Musicians’ Residency: Composition Program in 2011, two grants from the Korean Cultural Service NY, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Composer Workshop, the ACO Whitaker New Music Reading Session, the Symphony-in-C Young Composers’ Competition (1988-1999), and annual ASCAP Plus Awards.
From 2013, Lee has participated in three festivals at the American Museum of Natural History in New York: Festival Luna (2013), Experience Korea (2014), and Spotlight Asia: Big Cat (2015). Furthermore, he has been a fellow at the Symphony Space Festival, SONiC FESTiVAL in New York, Maîtrise de Radio France in Paris, Trail Mix Chamber Concerts, the World Music Festival Millennium Park in Chicago, the Taranaki International Festival of the Arts in New Zealand, the 10th Adam Chamber Music Festival in New Zealand, the Cutting-Edge Concerts Festival, the American Composers Alliance’s Festival of American Music, MacDowell Colony, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the SCI National Annual Conference in New York, in addition to many conferences and festivals in universities and conservatories.
A member of ASCAP, Lee studied composition at San José State University, and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His principal teachers are Leslie Bassett, Bright Sheng, William Bolcom, Pablo Furman, and Allen Strange.
2014
Texu Kim
Composer-in-Residence
As an arranger, Kim has participated in producing various musicians’ albums including Sumi Jo, Shin Youngok, Harpist Kwak Jeong, Daegeum master Kim Jeong-seung, Violinist Kim Suyeon, Violinist Kim Chee-yun, Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill, Bassist Minje Sung, Pianist Yeol Eum Son, and Musical actor Yang Joon Mo. His arrangements were also featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, the Insbrook Music Festival, the Peace & Piano Festival, music classes with Daejin Kim, New York Classical Players, the Chamber Music Society of Kumho Art Hall, Opus 5, Ola Viola Sound, and so on.
Texu Kim, who also won a silver medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, studied chemistry and composition at Seoul National University and then composition at its Graduate School. He also holds a doctorate degree in composition from Indiana University. His principal teachers are Claude Baker, Sven-David Sandström, David Dzubay, Jin Eun-sook, Jeon Sang-jik, and Seo Jeong-eun. Currently, Kim is teaching music theory at Portland State University and Lewis & Clark College.