UNSUK CHIN, the South Korean composer born 1961, lives in Berlin. Frequently performed. Self taught on piano and she initially wanted to be a concert pianist but her family couldn’t afford a piano in poverty stricken Seoul then, let alone lessons. And that’s how she got into composition - which she also taught herself, spending every day at the library studying scores. She applied to the composition program at Seoul National University three times before she succeeded, and then immediately won several important prizes early on - one of which took her to Amsterdam, then to Berlin studying with Ligeti, and she simply never went back ...
It’s very original sounding music. Her breakthrough came with Acrostic Wordplay in 1991 and ever since then she’s been in demand all over the world, with the world’s finest ensembles and conductors. Maintains an important advisory presence back in South Korea and continues to sweep up international prizes including the lucrative Grawemeyer award and Siemens prize just last year, 2024.
It was not easy to start as a female Asian composer in Germany, she says.
But she had already fought her way out of difficult circumstances and "the important thing is to persevere. Bach fugues on the piano help"
MUSIC: Etude No. 5 "Toccata"
Presented by composer Joan Tower for International Women’s Month in March, written and produced by Charlotte Wilson for WMHT
