Composer

Jonghee Kang has written across a wide spectrum of musical genres, ranging from new concert music to film scoring to crossover music. Her music has been characterized as stylistically diverse but always lyrical, lush sounding, and inviting. Music critic Alan Kozinn wrote in the New York Times that her work “elicits a dynamically fluid, pointillistic texture that hints at narrative while remaining alluringly aloof.”

As a scholar, Kang’s recent research interests include Elliott Carter’s music written in the ’80s and ’90s as well as structure and rhythm of Korean sanjo music. She won the Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship for her dissertation research at the University of Pittsburgh, where she is currently pursuing doctorate study (A.B.D.) in music composition and theory under the direction of Professor Eric Moe.

Kang is currently a mentor composer of From Note To Finish, a newly launched music composition project for high school students, and a composer-in-residence with Ion Sound Project for their 2014-15 season. In recent years, she was invited to give lectures on her music and thoughts at Musik Unserer Zeit (Germany), Emory University (GA, United States), and Estoril Music Festival (Portugal). She held a masterclass on interpretation of Beethoven piano sonatas at Kutztown University Chamber Music Festival (PA, United States). She directed a concert of Korean women composers’ works including herself as a part of Korean Music Expo with a grant from Korean Composers Association. She worked as the administrator of Highpoint Music Festival ’10 in New York.

Kang’s music has been performed in the United States, Europe, and Asia by ensembles and soloists such as Ensemble SurPlus, Ensemble Interface, IonSound, NOW Ensemble, Alia Musica, TICF Players, Reinbert Evers, Peter Kersting, Yeree Suh, Seoul Grand Choir, Ensemble ye:rak, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and so on. She participated in music festivals such as June in Buffalo, TICF, Pan Music Festival, Etchings Festival, National Arts Centre Composers Programme, Aspen Music Festival and School, Oregon Bach Festival, and Czech-American Summer Music Institute. She had masterclasses with composers Robert Beaser, David Felder, Brian Ferneyhough, Lee Hyla, Betsy Jolas, Ladislav Kubik, Fred Lerdahl, Zhou Long, Augusta Read Thomas, Steven Stucky, George Tsontakis, Amnon Wolman, Yehudi Wyner, and so on.

→ homepage of Jonghee Kang

→ all works by Jonghee Kang