Book Capturing Life's Frustrations 'I Am a Specialist in Frustration' Published
[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] “My life has been a series of setbacks. I am a specialist in setbacks.”
Pianist Baek Hye-seon, who gained worldwide attention beyond Korea by becoming the first Korean to win a prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition, one of the world's top three competitions in 1994, has published a book about the setbacks in her life titled I am a Specialist in Setbacks (Dasan Books).
At a publication press conference held on the 30th at Oddport in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, she emphasized that this is not a book about her great achievements, but rather a collection of special moments in life she wanted to share with the public.
Baek Hye-seon achieved excellent results in numerous competitions, starting with first place at the 1989 William Kapell International Competition. In 1995, at the age of 29, she was appointed the youngest professor at Seoul National University College of Music. In 2005, she moved to the United States and served as a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and she is currently a professor at her alma mater, the New England Conservatory.
Although her life appears successful on the surface, she confessed, “I have reached where I am today after experiencing countless setbacks.” She began playing the piano at age four, but the seniors and juniors she met at Seoul Yewon School (middle school) intimidated her. There were many people with outstanding performance skills who could improvise on the spot after seeing a score once. To survive, she immersed herself in practice, spending 12 hours in front of the piano during vacations. She developed a habit of practicing any piece 100 times without mistakes.
Nevertheless, many turning points came in her life. While studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston, USA, where she currently teaches, after transferring there in her second year at Yewon School, she temporarily put down the keyboard due to a slump around the time of her college graduation. She wandered while working as a sales representative at a telephone company.
She returned to the keyboard thanks to the encouragement of her mentor, pianist Byun Hwa-gyeong. Thinking it was her last challenge, she entered the Tchaikovsky Competition and won third place. Soon after, she was appointed as a professor at Seoul National University College of Music and seemed to be thriving, but she felt uncomfortable as if wearing ill-fitting clothes. She said, “When I actually worked there, I felt it didn’t suit me,” and added, “During the 10 years at Seoul National University, I lived a very complacent life. Eventually, I resigned and moved to the United States to take on a new challenge as a performer.”
However, this was not an easy challenge either. Unable to find performance opportunities, she spent 7 to 8 years touring provincial cities. She confessed, “It was a time when I realized the difficulties of standing on the world stage as an East Asian performer and living as a mother of two children.”
She, who did not consider herself a remarkable person, was motivated to publish the book after farewells with those around her. After losing the late Lee Myung-ah, who had managed her domestic management for decades in 2018, and then her mother, aunt, and fellow pianist Philip Kevin in 2021, she came to think that nothing is eternal. She said, “The motivation for writing the book was the gratitude I feel toward the loved ones I lost and the belief that all opportunities in life should be cherished.”
Setbacks continue even recently. Mentioning young pianists such as Son Yeol-eum, Kim Sun-wook, Cho Seong-jin, and Lim Yoon-chan, she smiled and said, “It’s amazing and proud that they are creating such a boom that it’s hard to tell if it’s K-classical or K-pop. When I see young performers these days, their setbacks are even greater.” She added, “Although it can’t be compared in terms of strength, I always worry about performing in a way that lasts long.”
She plans to continue her domestic activities starting with a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu this April.
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