HELLO from KOREA

56 _ HELLO from KOREA
The Chung Trio:
Myung-hwa, Kyung-hwa
and Myung-whun
(1944- ), (1948- ), (1953- )
Many would agree that the Korean people
are musically inclined. Not only does Korea
have a rich tradition of music, but the Korean
love of music is observed almost anywhere
today. Most Korean parents try to have their
children take piano or violin lessons, thus creating
a huge and sustainable market for small
music schools and private tutors.
Singing is even more popular, with normally
shy office workers and young misses packing
into noraebang (karaoke rooms) to croon old
standards and to belt out pop hits. Who
among them isn’t secretly hoping to be discovered
on a Sunday morning variety show or at a
college singing competition and make it big?
The Korean passion for music has disseminated
overseas: Korean communities abroad
sponsor their own song festivals, while leading
conservatories in America and Europe have a
disproportionate number of pupils with such
Korean surnames as Kim, Lee, and Park.
Members of the Chung Trio are perhaps
the most famous Korean artists ever. They
are known as the Chung Trio on the rare occasions
when they are able to perform together,
but they have also become prominent in their
own right as individual musicians. Together
they received the Excellence 2000 Award for
their contributions to music development in
the United States and were appointed goodwill
ambassadors for the UNDCP in June
1992.
Chung Myung-hwa, the eldest of the trio,
was born in Seoul in 1944. She began piano
lessons at the age of four but switched to the
cello a few years later. At the age of thirteen
she received her first musical accolade at a
national music competition. Finishing her
high school studies at the Seoul Arts School,
she went to the Jiulliard School of Music in
New York from which she graduated. She
went on to study at the University of
Southern California. In 1969 she performed at
the White House and in 1971, was awarded
first prize in the cello division of the Geneva
Competition. She has performed with such
world renowned conductors as Zubin Mehta
and Carlo Maria Guilini.
Her sister Kyung-hwa first learned to play
the piano at the age of four but switched the
violin at the age of six. In 1960 she played in
Japan as a member of a goodwill delegation,
and in 1961 was enrolled at the Jiulliard
School of Music, where she studied under
noted virtuoso Ivan Galamian. In 1965 she
kkwaenggwari have gained increasing popularity. These days it's fairly
easy to find cultural centers or private institutions that teach these instruments
to amateurs, especially the college-aged.
Traditional music is, however, not the music of choice for most young
Korean people, or even most older Korean people. Classical Western
music has long been accepted and performed in Korea, and that is what
most Korean young people study. The first Korean symphony orchestra,
the Korea Philharmonic Orchestra Society, was established in 1945, and
since then Korea has produced a remarkable number of world-class clas-