Kowoon Lee, piano

PRESENTS

KOWOON LEE, PIANO WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31ST, 7 PM TSC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, BROWNSVILLE

PROGRAM Inspirational Women Composers and Their Inherited Musical Voices Korea ARARI XII (2013) ARARI for Solo Piano (2023) México Siete Piezas Latinas (1980) 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Eunhye Kim (b.1956) Misook Kim (b.1963)

Graciela Agudelo (1945-2018)

Llamando Al Sur Al Viento Que Se Echa A Andar Otra Vez Vendrá El Amor Días De Lluvia El Niño Que Amo Brisa En Estío Fuiste Tú

Preludio y Estudio No. 3: Homenaje a Jesusa Palancares (2011) Gabriela Ortiz (b. 1964) USA Spiritual Suite Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) 1.

Valley of the Bones: based on the spiritual “Dry Bones” 2.

The Bells: based on “Peter, Go Ring Dem Bells” 3.

Troubled Water: based on the spiritual “Wade in the Water”

PROGRAM NOTES Eunhye Kim (b. 1956) - ARARI XII (2013) Eunhye Kim has composed her “Arari” series since 2002 with instruments including the Haegeum, a vertical fiddle with two strings, and the Daegeum, a bamboo flute. The title “Arari” comes from the refrain “Arirang Arirang Arariyo” from the song Arirang, which is derived from Korean oral tradition and includes many regional variations. The Arirang expresses Koreans’ Han, an internalized feeling of deep sorrow, resentment, grief, regret and anger. ARARI XII: Arirang variation for solo piano has a theme and five variations,and is based on the melody of ‘Gyeonggi Arirang.’

This Arirang became popular as the theme song of the movie “Arirang” directed by Na Woongyu in 1926 when Korea was under Japanese rule. The Arirang traditionally is in a compound triple meter. In ARARI XII, the theme is instead in a compound duple meter. The variations include dissonant harmonies and fast rhythmic figurations in common time. The compound duple meter reappears in Variation 5 in the style of a Huapango: a fast and complicated Mexican couple’s dance that accentuates the rhythmic beating of heels and toes. ARARI XII integrates Korean culture and tradition with Western European musical elements.

PROGRAM NOTES Misook Kim (b. 1963) - Arari (2023) “A bold and unrepentant modernist” (review from the San Antonio Express-News), a composer Misook Kim wrote “Arari” for solo piano in 2023, which is based on a folk song in Jeongseon, Gangwon-do Province. Jeongseon Arirang is considered the oldest among many different Arirang songs. The region of JEongseon is located deep in the mountains, and the people there have reflected on the hardship and loneliness of their daily lives in the lyrics of Arari. The beginning of the piece is very slow, pensive, and complex in its long and intricate melodic lines. Such sentiments are evident in the musical aspects of “Arari” such as its melodic structure and pitch range like minor 2nd/3rd trill. The second part of the piece is written for ‘Yeokkeum Arirang’ (compiled Arirang) and ‘Jajin Arirang’ (fast Arirang), inspired by the lyrics’ comic aesthetics of humor and excitement.

Graciela Agudelo (1945-2018) - Siete Piezas Latinas (1980) Graciela Agudelo was an admired musical figure in Mexico, but her music has largely not been performed elsewhere. Siete Piezas Latinas contains its very American and melancholy speech melody like “songs without words” with continuous syncopated rhythms and cheerful harmony. These musical elements are evocative of Cold Porter’s Jazz and Joan Carlos Jobim’s Bossa Nova that their American/African intensity is always present throughout this piece.

PROGRAM NOTES Gabriela Ortiz (b. 1964) - Preludio y Estudio No. 3: Homenaje a Jesusa Palancares (2011) Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz captures Latin American rhythm and literature and incorporates them with Western concepts, the prelude and etude. The set of four Estudios entre Preludios (2005-2012) is an homage to certain figures, such as Bartok, Ligeti, and Cage. Prelude and Etude No. 3 has a subtitle “Homenaje a Jesusa Palancares.” Jesusa Palancares is a fictional character based on the true story of a female soldier during the Mexican Revolution. The music starts with the prelude that is reminiscent of the voice of Debussy and Takemitsu. Then, it moves to the etude that drives forward with energetic determination, ending in a victorious conclusion.

Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) - Spiritual Suite “Spirituals” are religious folk songs that are closely associated with the enslavement of African-Americans. Margaret Bonds was the first Black woman composer who gained nationwide recognition, not only because she was the first African-American soloist to perform with the Chicago Symphony in 1933, but also because she arranged AfricanAmerican spirituals and collaborated with a poet Langston Hughes. Spiritual Suite is a three-movement set, and each movement is based on a spiritual song, and musically presents a narrative of the enslaved journeying from bondage into freedom.

ABOUT THE PERFORMER A South Korea-born, USA-based pianist Kowoon Lee made her debut as a concerto soloist at the age of 16 with the Chungnam Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Lee has since performed internationally in places such as the United States, South Korea, Puerto Rico, Italy, and the Czech Republic, with many orchestras and ensembles, including the Seoul National University Orchestra, the Romanian Banatul Timișoara Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sookmyung Festival Orchestra, the Janacek Concert Chamber Orchestra, the UMKC Conservatory Orchestra, and the Kansas City Ballet.​ Dr. Lee specializes in music by women composers. Her doctoral research project involved piano music written by women composers, and included original research and a recording, which has been selected to be presented at many international festivals and conferences. Her lecture-recitals include “21st Century Music for Solo Piano by Living East Asian Women Composers,” “Finding Their Own Voices: Piano Etudes by Women Composers in the 21st Century,” “Visual and Aural Connections: Character Pieces for Trumpet and Piano by Living Women Composers,” and “Homeland: Celebrating Women’s Voices and Heritages Throughout 21st Century Music for Flute and Piano” at the College Music Society Conferences, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Women in Music Festival, the International Alliance for Women in Music, International Women’s Brass Conference, Asian Classical Music Initiative, Korean Composers Festival, and the World Piano Conference.

ABOUT THE PERFORMER As a champion of new music. Dr. Lee has been working with many renowned living composers, such as Chen Yi, James Mobberley, Juri Seo, Vera Ivanova, Karen Tanaka, and Gabriela Ortiz, to name a few. She commissioned and premiered several works for solo piano and chamber music, including “It’s in the Simple Things” for flute and piano by Hannah E. Adhikari at the 2023 Music by Women Festival, selections from The Voice Imitator for solo piano by Yotam Haber at the 2022 Missouri Music Teachers Association State Conference, and “aɪ Kænt Spiːk for Violin, Cello, and Piano”

by Aubrie Powell at the 2017 national conference of the Society of Composers, Inc. Dr. Lee served as an adjudicator at the Indonesia International Young Musician Award, the Marie Guengerich Festival, the Hong Kong International Music Talent Online Competition, and others. She studied at University of Missouri-Kansas City, Indiana University, Sookmyung Women’s University, and Chungnam Arts High School. She previously taught at Washburn University, Cottey College, and the Interlochen Arts Camp. Dr. Lee currently teaches at Tennessee State University and is a co-founder and member of KC Piano Duo.

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