Judy Kang

Judy Kang
Genres classical music pop music
Occupation(s) violinist
Instruments violin
Website Judy Kang
Notable instruments
Baumgartner Stradivari

Judy Kang is a Canadian violinist, producer, singer, and composer. Born in Canada to a single mother, she began playing the violin at four years of age in her native Edmonton, Alberta, and has since toured world wide as soloist with a number of orchestras and ensembles.[1][2]

Early life

At age 11, Kang began to study at the Curtis Institute of Music and, at 17, graduated with a Bachelor in Music. She graduated high school at age 15, and was selected as an All American Scholar, one of the top academically gifted students in America, as well as being nominated for the U.S. National Mathematics Award (USNMA). At age 19, she was given a Lily Foldes Scholarship from the Juilliard School, and graduated with a Masters Degree. She became the first recipient of the Artist Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. Kang was awarded the 1689 "Baumgartner" Stradivarius, on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts, the first of three such awards she would receive.[3]

Career

Kang has played at music festivals including: Marlboro, Ravinia, Banff, Bargemusic, Manchester, Aspen, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Lenaudiere, and the Pablo Casals Festival; and at various pop and jazz festivals including: Lollapalooza and the Festival Internacional Jazz Barcelona. Kang released two solo CDs which were nominated for the Opus award and the Gemini award in Canada and won the 'Sylva Gelber' prize for the most talented musician under 30.[1][4]

Besides classical music, Kang also explores other styles, and was selected by pop star Lady Gaga as her solo violinist on the "MonsterBall" world tour in 2010-11, the biggest selling debut tour in history and has since received attention as "Lady Gaga's violinist" and was dubbed by the singer as "Nurse Judy/Judy from Juilliard".[5]During a European tour, Kang flew to NYC for 30 hours to perform as soloist at Stern Hall at Carnegie Hall. The New York Times commented: "Judy Kang, a Canadian violinist and most likely the only musician to have worked with both Pierre Boulez and Lady Gaga, was featured in Brahms’s Violin Concerto. Ms. Kang, who drew whoops from the audience before playing a single note, offered a lean, focused sound, pinpoint intonation and expressively molded phrasing. Every line seemed to mean something personal in what amounted to an amorous serenade."[6]

Collaborations and new projects

Kang frequently collaborates with artists and composers including Lenny Kravitz, Olafur Arnalds, Alaskan Indie Rock Band, Portugal The Man and is a founding member of Canadian quartet, Made in Canada, performing with them untill 2011. Following her collaboration with Pierre Boulez and IRCAM, The New York times commented: "Violinist Judy Kang, who played with assurance and imagination, became the wizardly master of an entire sound environment." She appeared on the Emmy award winning HBO special “Lady Gaga Presents: The MonsterBall World Tour Live from Madison Square Garden, and also appeared on American Idol playing her single, "Alejandro."

In 2013, Kang released a self-titled album ("Judy Kang"), a modern, experimental mix including her vocal performances, which was self recorded, composed, and produced.[7][8]

Kang has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto, who discovered her on YouTube; they have toured Europe and Asia and have released two albums for Decca. Other projects have included: 'FutureInREverse' (F.I.R.E.), an experimental New York group, and 'The Simple Machines', a group Kang created as an electro-ambient mix. She has toured as a member of string ensemble 'Sejong' and also produces for a number of artists such as Antoinette Costa. Kang works with a number of charities and is an artist ambassador for WorldVision.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Judy Kang-Canadian Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2016-4-27
  2. ↑ "Lady Gaga's Canadian violinist enjoys tour". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  3. ↑ Ross, Oakland (2009-09-20). "Nathaniel Anderson-Frank is a gifted Canadian who could use a good violin.". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  4. ↑ Opus Volume 28-29 page 79. Warwick Publishing Group. 2004-01-01.
  5. ↑ "Violinist Judy Kang's ultimate fantasy: a gig with Lady Gaga". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  6. ↑ Smith, Steve (2010-06-02). "Korean Symphony at Carnegie, Brahms via Seoul". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  7. ↑ Clavijo, Alejandro (2014-04-01). "Judy Kang – Judy Kang". Reviews New Age - Discovering Music. Retrieved 2016-04-27. (Google translation, page has option of the original Spanish version)
  8. ↑ "Review: Judy Kang – SLUG Magazine". SLUG Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.

External links

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