Untitled Document
 Chung
Myung-whun is one of the most famous conductors in the world.
He began his musical career as a pianist when he was a little
boy. Since then, he has conducted the world’s best
orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic,
the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra. So far, he has won numerous awards and prizes both in Korea and
other countries for his remarkable works. Now he
is internationally known as
a contemporary maestro. Currently, he is music director for the Seoul
Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also working hard as a Goodwill Ambassador
for UNICEF.
Chung Myung-whun was born on January 22, 1953, in Seoul. He started
playing the piano at age 4 and made his musical debut as a pianist
at the age of 7. He moved to America when he was 9 and studied conducting
at the Juilliard School in New York. In 1974, he won the second prize
at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow - the first Korean
to do so - and made a successful debut in the music
world.
 He
has two sisters - violinist Chung Kyung-wha and cellist Chung Myung-wha.
They performed together as the
Chung Trio at one time. In 1979, he
became an assistant conductor at the
Los Angeles Philharmonic and two years later, he was named Associate Conductor.
In 1997, he became the music director of the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra,
and in 2001, he became the special artistic advisor to the Tokyo
Philharmonic Orchestra. So far, he has conducted almost all the best
orchestras around the world, including Boston Symphony Orchestra,
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Maestro Chung won countless prizes and awards
from many countries including Italy, France and Japan. In 1991, he
was named “Artist of the Year” in France. In 1995, he was awarded
the Keumkwan Culture Medal, the highest honor for Korean artists.
The same year, he was named “Man of the Year” by UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)유엔교육과학문화기구. In 2001,
he was awarded the highest Record Academy Prize in Japan.
 He also
served as Goodwill Ambassador for the
Drug Control Program at the United Nations and was the first Honorary
Cultural Ambassador for the Korean government. In 2006, he became
the music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He also became
a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)유엔아동기금
in May, 2008.
On January 18, 2009, his orchestra will hold a concert at Seoul Arts
Center to help children in North Korea who are suffering from malnutrition. The proceeds of this concert
will be used to buy food for North Korean children. |
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