La Vague Coréenne

Uzong Choe, born 16. September 1968 in Seoul, studied 1987-91 composition and theory of music at Seoul National University (with Byung-Dong Paik and Sukhi Kang), 1991-95 at the Mozarteum in Salzburg (with Boguslaw Schaeffer and Franz Zaunschirm) and 1995-98 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (with Emmanuel Nunes).

Since 1994 he has worked with the Director Yoon-Taek Lee and his street theater troupe “Yon-Hee Dan”, and has made compositions and arrangements for Ogu, Babo-Gaksi, Yon-San, Mutter Courage und ihre Soehne etc. Since 2001 he is professor of composition and theory of music at Seoul National University, and artistic director of Ensemble TIMF(ensemble in residence of Tongyeong International Music Festival).

His works have been performed at various festivals such as Gaudeamus Music Week in 1996(Das Lied der Unfruchtbaren for flute and 13 strings) and in 1999(San for piano, percussion and 6 instruments), the ISCM World Music Days in Manchester in 1998 (Das Lied der Unfruchtbaren), the Contemporary Music Days in Bacau in 2003(Préludes pour piano), the Festival “Aspekte Salzburg” in 2004 (Hebrew Melodies – concert version), Festival “Métamorphose” au lac de Brienz in 2004 (Belle époque for piano and violin), den Internationalen Ferienkursen in Darmstadt in 2004(Woodwind quintet), Asian-Pacific Weeks Berlin in 2005(Air for Piano and String Quartet), and St. Gellert Festival in Szeged in 2009(Im Himmel gegraben for string quartet) etc.

His compositions have ranged over a wide variety of musical styles and aesthetic standpoints - from early music to pop music. And his recent works especially reflect his research for European polyphony and Korean traditional music, and show his strong interest in music theater and musical comedy. So he composed, wrote and directed a music theater Rose, as the opening work of the Tongyeong International Music Festival 2006, and composed in 2008 a musical comedy Happy Prince, based on a story by Oscar Wilde. In 2010, a music theatre Francisca, based on <Hebrew Melodies> by Lord Byron, co-produced by Ensemble TIMF and Seoul Performing Art Festival, and Love Letter, an opera commissioned by the city Seoul were premiered. And in 2011, another music theatre <The Chorus: Oedipus> was premiered.