Dong-Suk Kang
Encyclopedia
Dong-Suk Kang is a South Korea
n violinist.
in 1967 to study at the Juilliard School
and completed his education with Ivan Galamian
at the Curtis Institute of Music
. In 1971 he won the San Francisco Symphony
Foundation Competition and the Merriweather Post Competition in Washington D.C.
He has played with renowned orchestras in several continents such as the Philadelphia Orchestra
, the Cleveland Orchestra
and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
in America
, the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
in Europe
, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
in Asia
, the orchestras of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia
among many others.
Kang has worked with conductors such as Charles Dutoit
, Kurt Masur
, Yehudi Menuhin
and Seiji Ozawa
among many others.
He prefers to play "chamber music that is smaller in scale but warmer in mood than grandiose orchestral music". His wide-ranging repertoire includes all the standard works as well as many unusual and neglected works.
His recordings include award-winning performances of the Elgar, the Walton, the Nielsen and the Sibelius violin concertos, and the complete chamber music of Honegger and Alkan.
In his book "The Book of the Violin" the music critic Dominic Gill describes Dong-Suk Kang as "already one of the world’s great violinists. His flawless technique and perfect bow arm certainly produce one of the most beautiful violin tones to be heard anywhere today".
Kang is married and the father of two children. He has taught at Yonsei University
since 2003, and has held the "Concert of Hope" to combat hepatitis every year since 2000.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n violinist.
Biography
Kang played his first concert at the age of eight. He went to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1967 to study at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
and completed his education with Ivan Galamian
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian was an influential Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.He was born in Tabriz, Iran, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras until his graduation in 1919...
at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
. In 1971 he won the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
Foundation Competition and the Merriweather Post Competition in Washington D.C.
He has played with renowned orchestras in several continents such as the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is a symphony orchestra based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, with Montréal's Place des Arts as its home.-History:...
in America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...
and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra is one of the the oldest symphony orchestras in the world...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
The , also known as Tokyō , is one of the representative symphony orchestras of Japan. The Orchestra was founded in 1965 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to commemorate the Tokyo Olympics ....
, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra , is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1895 as an amateur orchestra, under the name Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957, and became a professional orchestra in 1974 under the funding...
in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the orchestras of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
among many others.
Kang has worked with conductors such as Charles Dutoit
Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
, Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
and Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
among many others.
He prefers to play "chamber music that is smaller in scale but warmer in mood than grandiose orchestral music". His wide-ranging repertoire includes all the standard works as well as many unusual and neglected works.
His recordings include award-winning performances of the Elgar, the Walton, the Nielsen and the Sibelius violin concertos, and the complete chamber music of Honegger and Alkan.
In his book "The Book of the Violin" the music critic Dominic Gill describes Dong-Suk Kang as "already one of the world’s great violinists. His flawless technique and perfect bow arm certainly produce one of the most beautiful violin tones to be heard anywhere today".
Kang is married and the father of two children. He has taught at Yonsei University
Yonsei University
Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
since 2003, and has held the "Concert of Hope" to combat hepatitis every year since 2000.
Awards and distinctions
- Korean Dong-A Music Competition, 1966
- San Francisco Symphony Competition, 1971
- Merriweather Post Competition, 1971
- Montreal International Music Competition, second prize, 1975
- Queen Elisabeth Music CompetitionQueen Elisabeth Music CompetitionThe Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
, third prize, 1976 - Grand Prix du Disque, Académie Charles Cros
- Grand Prix Nouvelle Académie du Disque
- CD of the month, Gramophone magazine 2000 (for the Walton violin concerto)
Selected discography
- Beethoven, Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and PianoTriple Concerto (Beethoven)Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56, more commonly known as the Triple Concerto, was composed in 1803 and later published in 1804 under Breitkopf & Hartel. The choice of the three solo instruments effectively makes this a concerto for piano trio and the...
- Debussy, Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minorViolin Sonata (Debussy)The Violin Sonata in G minor, L 140, for violin and piano was composed by Claude Debussy in 1917. It was the composer's final composition , forming the third work in what had originally been conceived as a cycle of six sonatas for various instruments...
- Elgar, Concerto for Violin in B minorViolin Concerto (Elgar)Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61, is one of his longest orchestral compositions, and the last of his works to gain immediate popular success....
- FauréFaureFaure or Fauré is a French family name and may refer to:People:* Edgar Faure, French politician* Élie Faure, French art historian and essayist* Émile Alphonse Faure, lead battery pioneer* Cédric Fauré, French football striker...
, Sonatas for Violin and Piano 1 and 2 - Grieg, the three Sonatas for Violin and Piano
- HalvorsenHalvorsenHalvorsen is a Norwegian patronymic surname which may refer to:may refer to:* Aasmund Halvorsen Vinje , Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party* Asbjørn Halvorsen , Norwegian footballer....
, Norwegian Dances - NielsenCarl NielsenCarl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
, Concerto for Violin - Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
, Concerto for Violin No.3Violin Concerto No. 3 (Saint-Saëns)The Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61, by Camille Saint-Saëns is a piece for violin and orchestra written in 1880. Saint-Saëns dedicated the concerto to fellow composer-virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, who played the solo part at the premiere...
, Introduction and Rondo CapricciosoIntroduction and Rondo capriccioso (Saint-Saëns)The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor , Op. 28, is a composition for violin and orchestra written in 1863 by Camille Saint-Saëns for the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate...
, Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 - Sibelius, Concerto for ViolinViolin Concerto (Sibelius)The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, was written by Jean Sibelius in 1904.-History:Sibelius originally dedicated the concerto to the noted violinist Willy Burmester, who promised to play the concerto in Berlin...
, Humoresques for Violin and Orchestra - William WaltonWilliam WaltonSir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
, Concerto for Violin in B minorViolin Concerto (Walton)The Violin Concerto of William Walton was written in 1938–39 and reorchestrated in 1943. It has three movements:#Andante tranquillo#Presto capriccioso alla napolitana#VivaceThe concerto was written for Jascha Heifetz, who commissioned it in 1936...