A point of encounter

UnsukChin

1961—

Composer · Artistic director

South Korea · Germany

Contemporary

Overview

A creative life.

Unsuk Chin’s work makes room for sharply imagined sound worlds, from solo instruments to opera. Born in Seoul, she studied with Sukhi Kang before moving to Germany in 1985 to study with György Ligeti. She subsequently settled in Berlin, where work in an electronic music studio became part of her development. Akrostichon-Wortspiel brought her music to wider international attention. Her catalogue includes concertos, ensemble pieces and the opera Alice in Wonderland, alongside a continuing engagement with contemporary-music programming and artistic direction.

[1][2]

Cultural context

Born in Seoul and based in Berlin; trained in South Korea and Germany and works with ensembles internationally.

Musical Language

Chin’s Akrostichon-Wortspiel turns language into musical material: syllables and letters are rearranged until sound loosens from ordinary meaning. The ensemble’s altered tunings create delicate pitch relationships around the soprano. Fairy-tale scenes become distinct emotional environments, ranging from luminous to grotesque, rather than a continuous narrated story.[2]

A point of encounter

Listen & Discover

A few paths into the music. Follow a recording, a score, or the composer’s catalogue.

01 / Catalogue

Akrostichon-Wortspiel

A short licensed excerpt from the third scene introduces Chin’s playful treatment of voice and ensemble. Piia Komsi sings with Ensemble intercontemporain under Kazushi Ono. Listen on the publisher’s site; no audio is copied here.

Listen to the publisher’s excerpt

View work details [3]

Selected works