Alumni Organist Song Ji-hoon Won

International Chamber Music Competition in Germany

 

-“I hope many people will enjoy organ music in Korea.”

 

 

 

Organist Song J i-hoon, who studied in the Department of Church Music at Yonsei, took first place at the International Kurt Bossler Organ Competition, which was held from March 7 to 11 in Freiburg Germany. Song was awarded in both the Chamber Music Category and the Comprehensive Category, and he shared the top prize with Japanese flutist Yuri Matzusaki. Song’s showing has resulted in a number of special performance invitations in Europe.

 

After graduating from Yonsei in 2010, Song moved to Leipzig, Germany to continue his studies. Currently, he works as the conductor and organist at a church in Leipzig.

 

On April 15, Song visited Yonsei for an interview. He explained that “Organ music is not well-known in Korea. The organ is an instrument with various possibilities. I would even call the organ ‘masculine.’ I would like to perform in Korea as well, but it is not easy. Many Korean performance halls are not equipped with organs. Also, since organ music is not a well-known genre, it is difficult to even organize an organ music concert.”

 

Song also said that the organ is "an instrument that mimics an entire orchestra." Because of this, an organist must play the instrument like a conductor. For Yonsei students interested in the world of organ music, he recommended Joseph Rheinberger’s “Organ Concerto No. 1.”