USA International Harp Competition presents: Harpyday Ensemble
April 23, 2019 | 7:00 PM | FAR Center for Contemporary Arts, Bloomington, IN
Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/usainternationalharpcompetition/244164
$25/general
$15/student
The USA International Harp Competition (USAIHC) is honored to present the Harpyday Ensemble at the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts on April 23, 2019 at 7:00 PM. Established in 2002, the Harpyday Ensemble, led by renowned harpist Jung Kwak, is the only professional harp ensemble in Korea. Combining the words “Harp” and “Day”, the name Harpyday embodies the ensemble’s mission to show the wide spectrum of the harp to its audience.
In 2002, Harpyday Ensemble won the prestigious Kumho Young Artist Audition, the only chamber music group to win the audition. Soon after, the ensemble was invited to perform at the 2002 World Harp Congress in Geneva and at the Hong Kong Harp Festival. Since then, they have performed at all the major performance halls in Korea including: Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall, IBK Chamber Hall, Sejong Cultural Center, Samsung Concert Hall, LG Art Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Kumho Art Hall, KBS Hall, Hoam Art Center, and Buchon Cultural Center Concert Hall. Appearing in many TV and Radio concerts, Harpyday Ensemble has performed with many leading artists and orchestras and was included in Seoul Arts Center’s “Classic Star Series” along with Korea’s top classical artists.
In 2013, Harpyday Ensemble registered as an official performance corporation designated by the government – a first in the world for a harp ensemble. The Ensemble made its American performance debut to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in 2016. The following year, they toured across Italy as part of the USA & Alba Music Festival and in 2018, performed as one of the leading classical artists for the PyeongChang Paralympics.
Harpyday Ensemble aims not only to perform actively, but also promote the harp to the general public, hold charity concerts, and provide harp education scholarships for disabled and low-income students. Harpyday Ensemble is an ambassador for Green Umbrella Childrens’ Foundation. Harpyday Ensemble members are comprised of Korea’s top national and international competition and audition winners: Sun Young Bang, Yoon Mi Ji (Executive Director), Yae Song Jee, Se Young Hwang, and Se Hee Hwang.
Harpyday Ensemble’s music director, Jung Kwak, is recognized worldwide as one of classical music’s most captivating and gifted artists. Ms. Kwak has appeared as a soloist with Zubin Mehta’s Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo String Quartet, Israel Piano Trio, Yoel Levi’s Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Myung-Whun Chung’s Seoul Philharmonic, Moscow Radio & Television Symphony (Tchaikovsky Hall), Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Prague Radio & Television Orchestra, Keith Lockhart’s Boston Pops Orchestra, Korean Symphony, and many other world renowned orchestras and chamber music ensembles throughout the world. As a recording artist, she has released 6 CDs with Universal Music.
Ms. Kwak is the first harpist in Asia who made her mark with a continuous exploration of all sides of the musical spectrum in concerts, recordings, and teaching. She is one of the top harp teachers in Korea and her young students have won prizes in many international prizes and auditions throughout the world. She is the founder and the Artistic Director for Korea Harp Festival, Harpyday Ensemble, the co-director of Korea International Harp Competition, and the co-founder of Asia Harp Festival. Jung Kwak is a current member of the USA International Harp Competition and World Harp Congress Board of Directors.
The Harpyday Ensemble will perform in support of the USA International Harp Competition, a triennial performance competition held at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. The USAIHC is proud to recognize the accomplishments and foster the careers of gifted young harpists worldwide. The 11th Competition will take place in Bloomington, July 3-13, 2019.
All ages are welcome. For more information about each concert venue and to learn more about the USA International Harp Competition, please visit www.usaihc.org.
All tickets proceeds will benefit the USA International Harp Competition.
Cost: $25/General Admission, $15 Student Admission
For more information contact:
Erin Brooker-Miller
(812) 856-5715
[email protected]