In a career that has already spanned more than thirty years, Kyung-Wha Chung has been one of the most sought after musicians on the international stage. She has earned recognition worldwide as a performing artist of the very highest stature: in 1972 the South Korean government awarded Kyung-Wha Chung its highest honor, the medal of Civil Merit and she has been cited by the Sunday Times of London as one of the most important contributors to the British cultural scene. The depth of her musicianship, her commitment and her passion for her art characterize each performance and recording. ... read full bio

In a career that has already spanned more than thirty years, Kyung-Wha Chung has been one of the most sought after musicians on the international stage. She has earned recognition worldwide as a performing artist of the very highest stature: in 1972 the South Korean government awarded Kyung-Wha Chung its highest honor, the medal of Civil Merit and she has been cited by the Sunday Times of London as one of the most important contributors to the British cultural scene. The depth of her musicianship, her commitment and her passion for her art characterize each performance and recording.

Kyung-Wha Chung was born into a musical family in South Korea and began studying the violin at age six. At the age of twelve she left her native country to study with Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School in New York; she was coached further by Joseph Szigeti and Szymon Goldberg. After winning the Leventritt competition in 1967, she embarked upon her career in North America, appearing with many of the world’s finest orchestras. She made her sensational European debut in 1970 at the Royal Festival Hall with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra, playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto. Kyung-Wha Chung has appeared regularly as a soloist with the world's most prestigious orchestras, working with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle, André Previn, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti and the late Sir Georg Solti.

As a recitalist, Kyung-Wha Chung has collaborated with an extraordinary list of important artists, including Radu Lupu, Krystian Zimerman, Peter Frankl, and Stephen Kovacevich. Chamber music plays a very important part in Kyung-Wha Chung's performing life, and she has toured extensively as a member of the Chung Trio, with her brother conductor/pianist Myung-Whun Chung and her sister, cellist Myung-Wha Chung. Their EMI Classics recording of Beethoven's Piano Trios Opp.11 and 97 (Archduke) released in September 1994, received great critical acclaim. The Chung Trio has received numerous honors including the London Sunday Times Culture Award and the honor of bearing the title of Honorary Ambassador of the United Nations Drug Control Program.

Kyung-Wha Chung has recorded numerous award winning albums. After recording the 1970 Decca Tchaikovsky & Sibelius violin concertos, Kyung-Wha Chung has over thirty-two albums with RCA, Deutsche Grammophon, and EMI. Of those, her recordings of the Strauss & Respighi violin sonatas with Krystian Zimerman (1989, DG label), Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2; Rhapsody with Simon Rattle (1994, EMI) have earned her the Grammophon award. In 1992, the London Sunday Times recognized Kyung-Wha Chung as one of the top performers of the past twenty years. In 1995, Kyung-Wha Chung was the only classical artist recognized on Asia Week’s Top 20 Asians.

Kyung-Wha Chung is a respected and beloved artist recognized the world over. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of her professional debut, Kyung-Wha Chung held performances in Korea and London’s Barbican center. In August 2004, she performed in Japan and Korea with the Chung Trio, and in September 2005, she was scheduled to perform in Korea with the Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev but was unable due to an injury.

2011 marked Kyung-Wha Chung’s return to Korea with the aptly titled recital ‘She is Back.’ She has since performed numerous concerts throughout Korea from 2011 to 2012. She is currently a professor at the Juilliard School of Music and is the co-artistic director of the Great Mountain Music Festival. In May 2012, Kyung-Wha Chung was appointed chair-professor of music at Ewha University.