By Sarah Shaffer—
MUNCIE, Ind.—PlySpace, the artist in residence program of The Muncie Arts and Culture Council is excited to announce “First Sonatas”, the artist talk and piano recital featuring PlySpace Artist in Residence, Jung Sun Kang. “First Sonatas” will take place in the E.B. Ball Auditorium of Cornerstone Center for the Arts on Friday, August 27, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. “First Sonatas” will serve as the world premiere of Kang’s sonata composed while at the PlySpace Artist Residency in Muncie.
This event is FREE and open to the public, all ages welcome. Masks are required for this event. RSVP is preferred but not required at www.PlySpace.org/events.
During the artist talk and piano recital, “First Sonatas,” Jung Sun Kang will perform the First Movement of Piano Sonata No.1 by composers Carl Vine and Nikolai Kapustin, as well as premiere the composition completed while in residency at PlySpace this summer. Predominantly written by pianists who are composers, the first piano sonata often marks the beginning of the mid-career and works as an inspiration to bigger works. Kang will discuss the fascinating tradition of sonata writing, why there are so few piano sonatas written by women, and why she believes classical music is relevant, now more than ever. MuncieArts would like to thank collaborative partner, Cornerstone Center for the Arts for hosting this event.
Jung Sun Kang’s music, described as “beautiful, ethereal and heartfelt” (Kapravola Society Journal), seeks a balance between wild imaginations from many different cultures and a firm belief in classical music’s structural tradition.
Kang’s music has been commissioned by Fromm New Music Players, Brave New Works, Shakespeare and Company, fivebyfive, and the Howard Hanson Institute for American Music, among many others. She has received awards from Wildacres, PlySpace, Faber Residency, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, Willapa Bay, New York Council on the Arts, New Music USA, British Harpsichord Society, as well as Leonard Bernstein Fellowship from Tanglewood Music Center. Her music has been programmed at festivals such as International Carillon in Bruges, Summer @ Eastman, Cambridge Music and Math and Women in Music. Her music is recorded on the ArtistShare, Centaur, Delos, University of Chicago and Prima Facie labels.
An avid performer of early and new music, Jung Sun Kang has given concerts in US, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. She has given world-premiere performances of music written by Robert Morris, Carlos Sanchez-Guiterrez, Juan Trigos, and many more. Since relocating to New York City in 2013, she has been performing at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Yale Club, Manhattan School of Music, Shapeshifter Lab, as well as Duane Park in a part of TriBeCa Art + Culture Night, to name a few.
Kang began her piano studies at age three, and started writing music when she was seventeen. Her curiosity and passion about Bach’s music led her into studying harpsichord and continuo playing as well. She received a BM (summa cum laude) from Ewha University in her native country South Korea and a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, where she taught and also served as a pianist of the Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble and OSSIA New Music. She also holds an Artist Diploma degree from McGill University, where she received the Schulich Scholarship. Her current interests include music written by composers/pianists, conductor-less chamber music and jazz. She resides on the Upper West Side.
For more information about “First Sonatas” visit our website, www.PlySpace.org. PlySpace Summer Term events can be found on the PlySpace website at www.PlySpace.org/events and the PlySpace Facebook page. Questions or comments about the PlySpace Residency program, events, and community collaborations can be directed to the Program Coordinator, Sarah Shaffer, at sarah@munciearts.org. Learn more about Muncie Arts & Culture Council at www.munciearts.org.
PlySpace is a program of the Muncie Arts and Culture Council. This concert is in partnership with Cornerstone Center for the Arts. PlySpace is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more at plyspace.org.
