Unsuk Chin - 4


Unsuk Chin Photo © Woenki Kim

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Though she lives in Berlin, Germany Unsuk Chin is originally from Korea  (born in 1961). She taught herself how to play piano and started writing music at a very young age. She says this about the music she creates :

 "My music is a reflection of my dreams. I try to render into music the visions of immense light and of an incredible magnificence of colours that I see in all my dreams" — Unsuk Chin, 2003 

She is a very successful composer and has won many awards: 
2004 Grawemeyer Award for her Violin Concerto, the 2005 Arnold Schoenberg Prize, the 2010 Prince Pierre Foundation Music Award, and the 2017 Wihuri Sibelius Prize. 

 In October of 2018, she won $200,000.00 and a commission to write new music for the New York Philharmonic orchestra! 

 Listen to the following examples:

 Toccata


Gougalon (this is almost 24 minutes long -- you don't need to listen to all of it, but it is very interesting!)
        See if you can figure out how many unusual instruments she uses! Hint: go to 11:33 in the video


Violin Concerto (this is only part of the first section, but once again worth your time)

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 12, 2018 at 2:26 PM

    Her fingers moved so fast in Toccata! Her music is very exciting! - From Dev

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  2. Ari GSeptember 15, 2018 at 8:15 PM

    I didn't really like the music but I did like how she moved lightening fast and gougalon kind of sounds out of place. Even if I played for 45 years I would not be as fast as her.-from ARI

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2018 at 4:23 AM

    She was born in 1965 madelyn

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  4. AnnaliseSeptember 24, 2019 at 3:40 PM

    I like it. It is kind of happy and sad at the same time.

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  5. MikeOctober 1, 2019 at 5:55 PM

    cool

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  6. jason.montague@woodward.eduSeptember 24, 2021 at 2:43 PM

    Great music!

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  7. MontagueSeptember 24, 2021 at 2:45 PM

    This is great music!

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  8. MontagueSeptember 24, 2021 at 2:46 PM

    Great music!

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  9. Henry HyltonSeptember 26, 2021 at 5:51 AM

    Gougalon is a different kind of music. It is fun and unlike anything I have heard.

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  10. HMKSeptember 26, 2021 at 6:08 AM

    Wow she won so much awards. She is a really good pianist. - Indira

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  11. Caci FSeptember 28, 2021 at 3:12 PM

    She is very good

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  12. Zoe M.September 12, 2022 at 4:19 AM

    I liked how fast her fingers moved.

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  13. SabenaSeptember 12, 2022 at 1:03 PM

    Her fingers were so fast!!!!!
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!.!.!!!! I loved the music 🎶 🎵

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  14. Shiloh KauffmanSeptember 12, 2022 at 2:12 PM

    i love the music

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  15. Audrey PetittoSeptember 12, 2022 at 4:00 PM

    she has preaty hair.audrey

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  16. Virginia TrammellSeptember 12, 2022 at 4:45 PM

    I really enjoyed her music. I love playing the violin.

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  17. Mila SimpsonSeptember 13, 2022 at 4:22 AM

    This music makes me feel happy and silly :)

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  18. Mackenzie SimpsonSeptember 13, 2022 at 4:26 AM

    The music makes me feel like I want to fly away and I want to follow in her path for $200,000 :)

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  19. Nairn FamilySeptember 14, 2022 at 3:13 PM

    The music was totally great - Mia

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  20. jenwilliamsSeptember 15, 2022 at 3:30 AM

    Hayes says, "he loves the way she plays so fast!"

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  21. Graeme WhighamSeptember 15, 2022 at 2:40 PM

    I like the music

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  22. Marcus WebbSeptember 15, 2022 at 3:27 PM

    I listened to Violin Concerto, I never knew the violin sounded this, it is different.

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  23. DeannaSeptember 16, 2022 at 5:04 PM

    I love the music.It makes me feel happy. Sophia B.

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  24. Shiloh KauffmanSeptember 17, 2022 at 11:15 AM

    love the music

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  25. T HyltonSeptember 29, 2022 at 4:21 PM

    Toccata made me think of two small furry animals chasing and playing with each other in the forest. (Warren Hylton's mom)

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  26. Jibril AOctober 2, 2022 at 5:10 PM

    When i listen to his music i feel like im in a calm forest with natrue all around.

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  27. jason.montague@woodward.eduOctober 3, 2022 at 5:54 AM

    I love this description!

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  28. Zachary SampsonNovember 17, 2022 at 5:33 PM

    She is so talented. Her fingers move fast.

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  29. VioletJanuary 5, 2023 at 2:51 PM

    I didn’t like it kinda but I saw a black suit and I thought I was seeing things but I looked closer and it was a man in a suit and the girl who was on the piano was just a fast typer like me -Violet

    ReplyDelete

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