Mia Chung



Pianist MIA CHUNG took First Prize at the Concert Artists Guild New York Competition in 1993. She also won the competition's special U.S. Trust Award, Channel Classics Prize and ITT Corporation Prize. Channel Classics released Ms. Chung's debut recording as part of its Winning Artists Series; Gramophone magazine selected the recording as a "Best of the Year" for 1995. Ms. Chung made her debut at age twelve as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and her recital debut at 18 at the Hall of the Americas in Washington. She has also been soloist with the National Symphony and the New Haven Symphony. She made her New York City recital debut in 1994 at Carnegie Halls Weill Recital Hall. Chosen as an Artistic Ambassador by the United States Information Agency in 1993, Ms. Chung toured the former Soviet Union, Thailand, Singapore and Tonga under the agencys auspices, becoming the first American pianist to perform in Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan and Turkmenistan. As WCRB-FM's "Artist-in-Radio" in 1995, Ms. Chung's performances and commentary aired throughout metropolitan Boston. In June 1995, Ms. Chung served as the first "Young Artist in Residence" for National Public Radio's Performance Today. In 1997 she will make her European debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and will premiere a new work by Lee Hyla commissioned for her by Concert Artists Guild. Her recordings of works by Schumann and Shostakovich will be released shortly. Ms. Chung holds a Bachelor's degree from Harvard College, a Masters degree from Yale University and a Doctorate from the Juilliard School. She is Artist-in-Residence and Assistant Professor of Music at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., and is a resident tutor at Harvard College.

"I decided to become a musician for non-musical reasons. When I was nine, I heard a child prodigy -- Anna Maria Vera -- perform the Haydn D Major Piano Concerto with the Boston Pops and I was amazed that someone that young could affect so many people in a profound way. After the concert, I decided to pursue music professionally; I was determined to become as accomplished as Anna so that audiences could marvel at my music-making as well. It wasn't until I was 12 that I began to realize the weight of my decisions. Music is a tough discipline to pursue. Beyond talent, it requires a commitment level that is second to none with no guarantee that doors will open professionally. I also sensed that being a musician is a calling -- it demands a dedication beyond the ordinary and promises to improve the lives of others and enrich one's own life in an unquantifiable way. At age 13 I became a committed Christian and realized that this calling is even more -- it is a means to glorify God. Every performance is a chance to bring God pleasure and to convey God's love to the listener. These purposes prod me to make the listening experience transcendent; there is no greater challenge.

"One of the happiest days of my life was when my husband and I welcomed our first child, Nathan, into this world. We witnessed a miracle. He looked up at us and we knew we were about to begin the adventure of a lifetime.

"One day I would like to form an organization like Teach for America that brings all of the performing arts into urban and rural schools on a regular basis via college-age students. Since government support for the arts and arts education is diminishing, schools depend on private organizations to pool together resources and manpower to keep these disciplines alive. A nationally organized arrangement between conservatories/universities and their local schools might develop into a ground swell of interest that keeps the arts alive across the country."



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