Violin Legend Kyung-wha Chung Returns to Carnegie Hall After 8 Years

Kyung-wha Chung, a legendary figure in Korean violin, was born in 1948 and is approaching her 80s, yet the atmosphere at her press conference was more lively and cheerful than that of many young performers in their twenties. Throughout the event, she radiated bright energy. After entering the venue, she said with a big smile, "I was feeling a bit down before coming here, but seeing everyone like this makes me smile naturally."

Kyung-wha Chung will embark on a tour of four North American cities this November. She will perform in Worcester, Massachusetts on November 2, Princeton, New Jersey on November 5, at Carnegie Hall-the mecca of classical music in the United States-on November 7, and conclude the tour in Toronto, Canada on November 9. Before heading to North America, she is holding a domestic tour in Korea, which began in Pyeongtaek on September 13, continued in Goyang on the 21st, and will include performances at the Seoul Arts Center on the 24th and Tongyeong International Music Hall on the 26th. Pianist Kevin Kenner, who won second prize (with no first prize awarded) at the 1990 Chopin Competition, will join her. Chung and Kenner first performed together at the Pyeongchang Daegwallyeong Music Festival in 2011 and have been collaborating for 14 years.

Violinist Kyung-wha Chung (left), who is preparing for her first performance at Carnegie Hall in the United States in eight years, is smiling brightly at a press conference with pianist Kevin Kenner on the 18th.
Photo by Credia

For their Korea and North America tours, Kyung-wha Chung and Kevin Kenner will perform Schumann's Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Grieg's Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano, and Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano.

Chung explained that she chose these pieces because they are works of Romanticism. "I believe the highest realm of music is vocal music. The violin is an instrument that sings, and I think the most beautiful pieces are from the Romantic era, which is why I selected these works."

Carnegie Hall, included in the North American tour, is a particularly special venue for Chung. She considers 1967 as the year of her debut on the world stage, as she shared first prize with Israeli violinist Pinchas Zukerman at the Edgar Leventritt Competition that year. The Leventritt Competition finals were held at Carnegie Hall. Since then, Chung has performed at Carnegie Hall more than 20 times. She said, "Even if I forget my other performances at Carnegie Hall, I can never forget the Leventritt Competition finals," and added, "Carnegie Hall is the venue where I felt the happiest while performing." She continued, "For performers, acoustics are extremely important. The acoustics at Carnegie Hall back then were incredible. The sound was natural, and even the softest notes were delicately conveyed to the farthest corners of the hall."

Chung also held her 50th anniversary international debut concert at Carnegie Hall in 2017. The fact that she is returning to perform at Carnegie Hall after eight years makes this tour especially meaningful for her.

Regarding her younger brother Myung-whun Chung's appointment as music director of Italy's La Scala, one of the world's greatest opera houses, this past May, she expressed overwhelming emotion. Kyung-wha Chung said, "I am so happy and delighted." She added, "My brother is doing something that no one could have imagined," and continued, "I wonder what our mother would think as she looks down from heaven... It makes me feel so humble myself."