"O NATA LUX"
WORLD PREMIERE
January 10th, 2016 - 11:00a
Church of the Ascension
1133 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL 60610
Join Artemisia for a new, luminous work by celebrated composer, Sungji Hong. "O Nata Lux" will be performed in a liturgical setting, alongside Hong's acclaimed work, "Missa Lumen de lumine."
This performance is FREE and open to the public
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Sungji was born in Seoul in 1973 and began piano lessons at the age of five. She studied composition at the Hanyang University in Seoul and subsequently completed her MMus at the Royal Academy of Music in London and her PhD in composition with Nicola LeFanu at the University of York in the UK.
Her creative output ranges from works for solo instruments to full orchestra, as well as choral, ballet and electroacoustic music. Her works have been commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation (Harvard University, USA), the Tongyeoung International Music Festival (Korea), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (Korea), the Keumho Asiana Cultural Foundation (Korea), the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music (USA), the International Isang Yun Music Society (Germany) and the MATA Festival (USA).
Over the last decade, Sungji's music has been performed by leading players and ensembles in over 41 countries and 156 cities at such venues as the Carnegie Hall (New York), the Kennedy Center (Washington DC), the Gewandhaus (Leipzig), the Konzerthaus (Berlin), the Flagey (Brussels), the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Temple Church (London), the Merkin Hall (New York), the Herbst Theatre (San Francisco), McCullough Theater (Austin), Athens Concert Hall (Athens), the Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), the Cantacuzino Palace (Bucharest), Seoul Arts Center (Seoul) and the National Theatre 'Opera and Ballet' (Ljubljana). Her music has been widely broadcast in more than seventeen countries (37 channels including BBC Radio 3, SWR 2, DLF, MDR FIGARO, WNYC 2, RDP-Antena 2, HRT 3, ERT, YLE Radio 1 and others) and has been recorded and released on the Atoll and, Dutton labels and by ECM Records.
Missa Lumen de lumine has been described as “a work of iridescent freshness” (BBC Music Magazine), “the sound is utterly luminous” (Fanfare Magazine), “a virtuoso exploration of the technical and sonorous possibilities” (Daily Telegraph), “it explores colours, images and timbre” (Blue note przecena), “the ringing tones and soaring harmonies take us to a sublime soundscape of wonder and meditation” (Premarily a cappella) and “the harmonies and fluid dynamics were modern” (The New York Times).
Since CD (Stella Maris - ECM New Series 1929) was released Missa Lumen de Lumine received critical acclaim and reached the top ten on the Billboard Classical Chart and Itunes classics. It has been performed in over 71 cities 100 times (US: 18 states & 38 cities) and around the world.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR "MISSA LUMEN DE LUMINE"