»I remember my first visit to Dresden: it was 1985, and I had only just arrived in Europe from Korea, which was then – as it remains today – a divided country. Germany was, of course, also divided at that time. Growing up in Korea, I was absolutely fascinated by German music and culture; but in West Berlin and Hamburg, where I later studied, I discovered little trace of the artistic traditions that I had so adored in my youth. It wasn’t until I travelled to Saxony that I found what I was looking for. In Leipzig and Dresden, I visited the places where the artists I long admired had actually lived and worked – my imagination became a tangible reality and I felt the living presence of the cultural past. Today I feel as much a German as a Korean composer. I want to write music that is fresh and new. By following my own artistic path, I honour the great composers who have had such a strong influence on my life. I look forward to working with the wonderful Staatskapelle Dresden and perhaps giving back to them some of the inspiration I gained during my first trip to the city of Dresden.«
Unsuk Chin was born in the South Korean capital, Seoul, in 1961. She studied composition at Seoul National University under Sukhi Kang and, from 1985 to 1988, under György Ligeti at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg. Her international career was launched in 1985 when she won first prize at the Gaudeamus competition in Amsterdam. Since then, her music has been performed by many top international orchestras under outstanding conductors as well as by renowned instrumental ensembles.
Unsuk Chin was Composer-in-Residence for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 to 2017, where she founded and ran a concert series dedicated to contemporary music. From 2011 to 2020, she was Artistic Director of the »Music of Today« series of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra and since 2022 has been programme director of the Tongyeong International Festival in South Korea as well as heading the Weiwuying International Music Festival in Taiwan. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, the »Arnold Schönberg Prize« as well as prizes from the Kyung-Ahm and Daewon Foundations. In 2024, she received the »Ernst von Siemens Music Prize«. The composer has lived in Berlin since 1988.
