TongYeong Lady

By Sung-Hyun Kim, Chosun Daily, 2009

In 1986, Prof. Hie-Yon Choi moved to Berlin for further study and that same year participated in an internal competition at the Universität der Künste Berlin. One of the mandatory requirements was to perform a contemporary work composed after 1950. Wanting to introduce a Korean piece, she discovered Isang Yun’s *Five Pieces for Piano*, written in 1958 and premiered at the Gaudeamus Festival in the Netherlands—an event that helped launch Yun’s international career. Prof. Choi performed the work in the competition and later made a studio recording for the Yun Archive.

When Berlin celebrated Isang Yun’s 75th birthday in 1992 with jubilee concerts and a commemorative CD release, she recorded Five Pieces once again for inclusion in the album.

After returning to Korea, Prof. Choi was invited in 2000 to the Tongyeong Modern Music Festival to give a lecture and performance on Five Pieces, and she was invited back in 2005 for the same program.

Next month, Prof. Choi will serve as Artist-in-Residence at the Tongyeong International Music Festival—an honor common abroad but introduced for the first time in Korea. She will give a solo piano recital on March 29, a chamber concert, Hie-Yon Choi & Friends, on March 30, and a performance with the Northern Sinfonia on April 1. “Being named the first artist-in-residence carries a great sense of responsibility,” she said.