Hyun-Mi Chung, a classically trained concert pianist, owner and instructor of Elite Piano Academy in Vienna, is scheduled to perform a piano recital on Nov. 22 at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, 154 West 57th Street in New York.
The daughter of a prominent physician in Korea, Chung was only four years old when she started classical music lessons, practicing several hours each day.
The piano prodigy was soon awarded distinguished prizes, among them first prize in the Honam Pullma, Pung Moon Competition for Young Pianists. By the time she was twelve, she started recording classical piano music and her debut recital was broadcast throughout her country.
In 1975, at the age of 15, she left Korea to attend the preparatory division of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees of music. At Juilliard, she studied with well-known pianists Jane Carlson and William Masselos. Later, she attended the master classes given by Pierre Sancan and had lessons periodically with him in Paris.
Willing to help young students enjoy their music, she was teaching over 70 students per week. She was also an active concert pianist in North East Coast, performing with Symphony Pro Musica, and doing concert performances with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and benefit concerts for the Korean School of New England.
About ten years ago, Chung took a break from teaching students to achieve her personal music dream. “While you’re in school, you learn all different styles of music, but after nine years of learning at Juilliard, I had an idea that I wanted to record the entire sonatas of Beethoven,” she said, adding: “After Juilliard, I wanted to leave something for others to enjoy, to express myself through music, and leave something that would last longer than a concert.”
She stopped teaching, and started devoting the time she needed to achieve her dream of recording all of Beethoven’s 35 piano sonatas, considered by music critics to represent a “magnificent Mount Everest of Music.”
In 2007, she finally achieved her dream and completed the recording, becoming the first female to have recorded the entire canon of Beethoven’s sonatas.
Now she will share her love of music in a recital at Carnegie Hall, including her favorite pieces “Pathetique,” “Moonlight” and “Appassionata” sonatas.
“In addition to my performance, I invited Beethoven Scholar, Professor Barry Cooper from England to give a pre-concert lecture on 35 Beethoven sonatas. He will focus on rather unknown three early sonatas Wo 047,” said Chung.
The lecture on 35 Beethoven Piano Sonatas, including Wo 047 is scheduled for 7:30 and the concert by Chung at 8 p.m.
Elite Piano Academy is located at 8230 Boone Blvd., Suite 100a, Vienna. For additional information, call 202-674-0499 or visit www.Hyun-MiChung.net.