Biography

Kyungsun Suh was born in Seoul, Korea. She studied composition and theory at the Seoul National University

Seoul National University

Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...

, graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees, and at the University of Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts

This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...

 at Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...

. After completing her studies she took a position teaching at Hanyang University

Hanyang University

Hanyang University is one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea. In particular, Hanyang's School of Engineering is one of the oldest engineering schools in Korea. The main campus is Hanyang University at Seoul, located in the Seoul, with its branch campus, the ERICA campus , located...

in 1974. Her works have been performed internationally.

Suh served as president of the Korean Society of Women Composers from 1993-97. She organized the Asian Contemporary Music Festivals in Seoul and Suwon in 1993 and 2002. She received the Okwan (Jade) Medal of Culture from the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and an Arts Award from the Arts Council of Korea in 2005. She is professor Emeritus at Hanyang University.

Works

Suh has composed for orchestra, chamber ensemble, voice and solo instrument. Selected works include:

• An Illusion (1977)
• Phenomenon I (1982)
• Pentastisch (1987)
• At the Soo-kook (1991)
• Poem (1992)
• Poem for orchestra (1994)
• Concerto Grosso (1996)

Suh has also published articles on music and two books:

• The Language of My Music (Taipei, 1985)
• Some Characteristics of Ancient Korean Aristocratic Music (Bangkok, 1995)