Serra Miyeun Hwang (born 1962) is an American composer. Her work uses elements of Korean folk music.[2] She is also a percussionist, playing Korean drums.[3]

Serra Miyeun Hwang
Born1962 (age 61–62)
Seoul, South Korea
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
EraContemporary
Korean name
Hangul
황미연
Hanja
黃美衍[1]
Revised RomanizationHwang Miyeon
McCune–ReischauerHwang Miyŏn

Biography

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Hwang was born in Seoul, South Korea and emigrated to the United States as a teen.[4] In 1988, she was the composer who won the University of Michigan's Concerto Competition.[5] Hwang was also the winner of the 1992 Search for New Music Competition sponsored by the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM).[6] Hwang did her undergraduate work at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[7] In 1993, she earned her PhD in Musical Arts in Musical Composition, along with a minor in ethnomusicology from the University of Michigan.[8] After finishing her degrees, she spent time in London and in Jeonju as an adjunct professor at Jeonju University.[1][9]

Work

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Hwang's work incorporates both drums and folk music from Korea in her compositions.[10] Her work on Beckoning (2012) "augments solo cello with Korean drums to evoke memories of her childhood in Seoul, Korea."[11] Her piece, Sojourn (2004), uses traditional Korean drum rhythms and the piano.[12] Chan E. Park in The World of Music, describes Hwang's compositions as "liberating" both Western-style music and the folk sounds of Korean kugak into something that becomes "'fresh music for foreigners' while 'returning to roots' by honoring past traditions."[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "「전북 국악사」펴낸 황미연씨". Dong-a Ilbo. 19 February 1999. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. ^ Wallace, Sherry (2000). "New Music Cafe at IWU to Present World Premieres". News and Events. Illinois Wesleyan University. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  3. ^ Vittes, Laurence (1 January 2013). "Cello Professor Delivers World-Class Premieres". Strings. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
  4. ^ "Serra Hwang". Women in Film. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Student Activities". Music at Michigan. 22 (1): 24. 1988. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Search for New Music by Women Composers: Past Award Recipients". International Alliance for Women in Music. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  7. ^ School of Music, Theatre & Dance. University of Michigan. 1988.
  8. ^ "Composing Identity: Korean Sentiment and Sounds in an American Context Berkeley, CA, March 2003". Department of Music. University of California, Berkeley. 14 March 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  9. ^ "Boldly Expressive!". Dram. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  10. ^ Moore, D (November 2012). "Beckoning". American Record Guide. 75 (6): 222. Retrieved 4 January 2016 – via EBSCO.
  11. ^ "Distressed Surfaces and Layers of Recollection". WQXR. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Concert XXII". Center for New Music. The University of Iowa. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  13. ^ Park, Chan E. (2010). "Poetics and Politics of Korean Oral Tradition in a Cross-Cultural Context". The World of Music. 52 (1): 658–669. JSTOR 41700052.
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