Chung, Myung-Wha

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Chung, Myung-Wha

Chung, Myung-Wha, gifted Korean-born American cellist, sister of Kyung-Wha and Myung-Whun Chung; b. Seoul, March 19, 1944. She studied cello in Seoul, and made her orch. debut there in 1957. In 1961 she went to the U.S., where she studied with Rose at the Juilliard School of Music in N.Y. (B.A., 1965). She then attended a master class given by Piatigorsky at the Univ. of Southern Calif, in Los Angeles. She made her U.S. debut in San Francisco (1967) and her European debut in Spoleto (1969). She won first prize in the Geneva Competition (1971), the same year she became a naturalized American citizen. She appeared as soloist with orchs. in Europe and America, and also played trio concerts with her sister and brother.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire