The USA International Harp Competition presents

Harpyday Ensemble with Harpist Jung Kwak

April 18, 2019 | 7:00 P.M.
 Lyon & Healy Hall
Chicago, IL

Tickets
$25 - General Admission
$15 - Student Admission

About Harpyday Ensemble

Established in 2002, the Harpyday Ensemble is the only professional harp ensemble in Korea, led by renowned harpist Jung Kwak. 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. In addition, the Harpyday Ensemble hosts and organizes the Korea Harp Festival and Korea International Harp Competition. 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.

About Jung Kwak

Harpist 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 titled: Jewels, The Gift, Vivace, Toccata, Angelic Moment, and The Best. Ms. Kwak has been on a jury for many national and international competitions, most recently the world renowned Israel International Harp Competition 2018 and the Mexico International Harp Competition 2017.

Jung Kwak received her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University with world renowned Susann McDonald whom she studied from the age of 14 and Master of Music degree from Kathleen Bride at Eastman School of Music, receiving Performer’s Certificates from both schools. 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, teaching. Jung Kwak is one of the top harp teachers in Korea. Her young students have won prizes in many international prizes and auditions throughout the world. She currently teaches at Korea National University of Arts, Choong-Ang University, Yae Won Music, Art, & Dance Institute, Seoul Art High School and the Music Prodigy Academy of the Seoul Arts Center. She is an ambassador for United Help for International Children and the Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation.

Jung Kwak is the founder and the Artistic Director of the Korea Harp Festival, Harpyday Ensemble, the co-director of Korea International Harp Competition, and the co-founder of Asia Harp Festival. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the both the USA International Harp Competition and World Harp Congress.

About Maria Luisa Rayan

Internationally renowned harpist, María Luisa Rayan has performed to critical acclaim in the USA, Europe, Latin America, China, Japan, Korea and Australia. Described by the New York Concert Review as “Clearly an extremely talented, accomplished, experienced performer who can keep an audience listening with rapt attention”, Ms. Rayan has been performing all over the globe for the past twenty years, bringing to audiences a sense of musicianship and poetry in her playing. 

Since making her first international appearance at the age of eleven in a concert organized by UNICEF at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Ms. Rayan has come to be recognized as one of today’s highly sought-after harpists as a recitalist, chamber musician, soloist with orchestra, teacher and arranger of music for the harp. 

A consistent prizewinner at competitions internationally, Ms. Rayan was awarded the Silver Medal at the USA International Harp Competition in both 1998 and 2001. Additionally, Ms. Rayan has been on the jury of numerous international harp competitions, including the USA International Harp Competition, Golden Harp Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is currently co-director of Korea International Harp Competition. Ms. Rayan has recorded two CDs, “Latin Fire” and “From Bach to Piazzolla.”