Composer Jin Eun-sook, International Classical Music Award for Contemporary Music Album

Jin Eun-sook, Artistic Director of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, received the International Classical Music Award (ICMA) for Contemporary Music Album on the 14th, the Tongyeong International Music Foundation announced on the 22nd.

The awarded album is the "Berlin Philharmonic Jin Eun-sook Edition," which features major orchestral and concerto works by composer Jin Eun-sook, recorded by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra over 17 years from 2005 to 2022 and released in December 2023. The album consists of 2 CDs, 1 Blu-ray disc, and a booklet containing work commentaries.

Maestros such as Simon Rattle, Myung-whun Chung, Daniel Harding, and Sakari Oramo conducted, with world-class soloists including violinist Christian Tetzlaff, cellist Alban Gerhardt, soprano Barbara Hannigan, and pianist Sunwook Kim collaborating. The concerto album included in this edition was selected as the "Diapason d'Or" by the prestigious classical music magazine Diapason in January last year.

Jin Eun-sook, Artistic Director of Tongyeong International Music Festival
[Photo provided by Tongyeong International Music Foundation, (c) Gu Bon-sook]

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The ICMA jury stated that the Berlin Philharmonic Jin Eun-sook Edition album "perfectly captures the close and rich relationship between Korean composer Jin Eun-sook and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra," adding, "This edition, which includes six large-scale works composed by Jin Eun-sook, is a faithful and three-dimensional portrait of one of the most important composers of the first half of the 21st century."

Jin Eun-sook is a leading contemporary music composer representing Korea. In January last year, she became the first Asian to receive the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, often called the "Nobel Prize of classical music." Graduating from Seoul National University’s composition department, Jin studied under the master composer Gy?rgy Ligeti at the Hamburg University of Music. She gained international recognition after winning the Graeme Mayer Award in 2004 for her violin concerto. Since then, she has swept awards such as the Sibelius Music Prize (2017), Marie Jos? Kravis Music Award (2018), Bach Music Prize (2019), and Leonie Sonning Music Prize (2021). She has served as composer-in-residence for the Berlin Deutsche Symphony Orchestra (2001), Tongyeong International Music Festival (2005), resident composer for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (2006), and artistic director of the Philharmonia Orchestra in the UK (2010). Since 2022, she has been the artistic director of the Tongyeong International Music Festival. Jin Joong-kwon, a current affairs critic and former professor at Dongyang University, is her younger brother.

The International Classical Music Awards are selected by key figures from classical music magazines and broadcasters worldwide. Besides the Jin Eun-sook Berlin Philharmonic Edition, the jury also selected the Enescu Symphony by the French National Orchestra conducted by Cristian M?celaru (Deutsche Grammophon), and Elgar’s Violin Concerto performed by Birgit Finnil? with Robin Ticciati conducting the Berlin Deutsche Symphony Orchestra (Warner Classics). Additionally, violinist Gidon Kremer received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Germany’s BR Klassik was named Record Label of the Year, and Christoph Ehrenfelner was selected as Composer of the Year. The awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 19 in the Tonhalle, D?sseldorf, Germany.

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