Lee Geonyong
Title of the commissioned piece [Heoten Garak]
Lee was born in Pyongannam-do, Korea 1947 as fourth son of a pastor, who possessed high attainments in music. He started to compose songs since his age twelve. Lee played oboe in school band in Seoul Middle School. He studied composition with Kim Dal-Sung at Seoul High School of Music and Arts and with Sung-Jae Lee at Seoul National University. 1976 he went to Frankfurt am Main, Germany and studied composition with Heinz Werner Zimmermann at Frankfurter Musikhochschule. After the study in Germany he returned to Korea and taught composition in Hyosung Woman’s University and in Seoul National University. From 1992 he is teaching composition in the School of Music, Korea National University of Arts, where he served as the president 2002 to 2006.
His music ranges from art-songs to opera for vocal music and from solo piece to orchestral work for instrumental music. Though he studied mainly European modern music, he tried to find his own style in harmonizing Korean traditional music and western contemporary music.
Lim Jiesun
Title of the commissioned piece [Shadow Capriccio for Violin Solo]
Born in Seoul, Korea, she graduated from Yonsei University in Korea with highest distinction in her class. After graduation, she got her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in composition at Indiana University. Her chamber and orchestral works have been performed widely at the various international contemporary music festivals including June in Buffalo, International Rostrum of Composers in Paris, Asian Composers’ League in Taiwan and Tailand, ’99 Romania and Moldova ISCM World Music Days, Federation music week in Melbourne, Seoul International Music Festival, Yun Isang Music Festival, Sound Clock Concert at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Beijing Contemporary Music Festival, Berlin New Music Concert, and London New Music Concert.
She was a Fulbright Research Scholar at University of Michigan in 2002-2003. During that time she composed Requiem, Gayageum Concerto, and Nori for Violin, Flute, Clarinet and Piano. Nori was premiered successfully in Kennedy Center, Millenium Hall and Gayageum Concerto : Clash and Reconciliation by Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. She was nominated as one of ’60 leaders of Korea’ Kyunghyang Daily Newspaper 2007. The commissioned piece “Poem about Spring” for 2008’ Seoul International Music Competition is scheduled to be performed in Paris, France by the Russian pianist, Anastasha Terenkova in June, 2012. She is invited as a visiting research scholar from International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto, Japan from September 2012 to August 2013. She has been a professor at Yonsei University since 1996.
Ryu Jeajoon
Title of the commissioned piece [Capriccio per violino]
After graduating from Hyundai High School, Ryu Jeajoon studied composition under Krzysztof Penderecki at Krakow Music Academy as well as under Kang Suk-hi at Seoul National University.
His Violin concerto no.1 commissioned for Laboratorium Contemporary Music Festival was critically acclaimed following his internationally praised “Passacaglia for Percussion.” Soon after, his “Sinfonia da Requiem” received a standing ovation at the Ludwig van Beethoven Music Festival in Poland in March 2008, which established a unique and rare record for contemporary music and elevated him as a globally recognized composer.
“His music has diversified constitution and melodic counterpoint. This is the most attractive aspect of his music and it’s notable that he has created his own music style,” enthused the then professor of Seoul National University, Kang Suk-hi, while Marian Borkowski praised his compositions, saying “It surely can be a special achievement, seen as a starting point of neo-Baroquism.”
His pieces have been performed by numerous prestigious orchestras, not only in Korea by the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korea Festival Ensemble , Korean Chamber Orchestra – but also overseas by the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw; the Amadeus Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Cannes Orchesre and the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra Also, outstanding artists, such as Arto Noras, Ralf Gothoni, Pieres Lane, Le-Wei Qhin, shanghai Quartet, Baek Juyoung to Kim So-Ok have held concerts including the compositions of Ryu Jeajoon.
His major works include Cello Concerto(1997), Saxophone Sonata(2000), Cantata ‘Rubna Crux’(1999), Bach in our Age for Piano trio(2001), The bright Light for Electronic Sound(2002), Passacaglia per Percussion (2004), Fugues(2004), Violin Concerto(2007), Sinfonia da Requime(2008), Violin Sonata ‘Spring’(2008), Chaconne for Strings(2008), Piano Trio ‘The Early Summer’(2009), Cello Concerto(2010), Cello Sonata(2011), Quintet per marimba e string quartet(2012) and Overture “Il nome della Rosa” (2010).
He was invited Casals Festival in Prades(France), Nantalii Music Festival(Finland) and Mecklenburg Music Festival(Germany) as guest or residence composer and jury member of international Violin Competition of Astana.
He was the artistic director of Seoul International Music Festival 2009-2010. Currently, Ryu Jeajoon keeps himself busy and active as a composer of Poland Gozow Philharmonic Orchestra, music critic as well as being Artistic Director of Ensemble OPUS.