Yuniya edi kwon

Last updated

yuniya edi kwon
Born1989 (age 3536)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma mater University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music
Occupations
  • Violinist
  • composer
Awards Guggenheim Fellowship (2025)
Musical career
InstrumentViolinist
Formerly of
  • Juni One Set
  • Sun Han Guild
  • The Happy Maladies
Websitewww.yuniya.net

yuniya edi kwon (born 1989), (stylized in lower-case), is an American violinist and composer. She is a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow.

Contents

Biography

kwon was born and raised in Minneapolis, to Korean immigrant parents. [1] [2] She began studying the violin at the age of ten. [3] She graduated from University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music as a jazz studies student. [1] She was a 2016 United States Artists Fellow. [4]

In 2021, she performed the piece Seep as part of a Bang on a Can event; David Wright said that "whistling, vocalizing, and folk-inflected violin effects evoked woodland spirits in" the piece. [5] She was featured in The Washington Post's "22 for ‘22" series, with nominator Wang Lu saying that Kwon’s works have a "naturally musical" quality and "don't make me feel that they are too much 'carved'". [6] In a May 2023 review of her piece Earth Iridescence/Sorrow Churn, performed by Sun Han Guild, Vanessa Ague called her voice "a moment of catharsis". [7]

kwon won a 2023 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Robert Rauschenberg Award in Music/Sound. [8] She was a 2023-2025 Princeton University Arts Fellow. [9] In 2025, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition. [10]

She performed violin at the 2024 Monheim Triennale. [11] She performed as violinist on Stephan Crump's 2024 album Slow Water; Thomas Conrad of Stereophile said that "melodies sound more yearning when played on a violin". [12]

kwon co-founded the ensemble Sun Han Guild, and she is also part of the collective Juni One Set. [2] She has also been guitarist and violinist for experimental folk-rock band The Happy Maladies. [6] Regarding her performance style, UK Jazz News said that she "draws on her Korean heritage and Japanese butoh dance as well as jazz and classical music". [11]

kwon lives in Brooklyn. [8] She is transgender. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Vosmeier, Eric (November 10, 2015). "Eddy Kwon tries to be the change he encourages Cincinnati to embrace". Soapbox Cincinnati. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "yuniya edi kwon". New York Live Arts. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  3. Scheffel, Annett. "yuniya edi kwon: Korean-Queer Continuities". Monheim Papers. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  4. "yuniya edi kwon". United States Artists. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  5. Wright, David (June 8, 2021). "Time doesn't stand still as Bang on a Can Marathon showcases emerging composers". New York Classical Review. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Brodeur, Michael Andor (January 22, 2022). "22 for '22: Composers and performers to watch this year". The Washington Post. ProQuest   2621861287.
  7. Ague, Vanessa (May 24, 2023). "SUN HAN GUILD Shakes Up Roulette with Vibrant, Cathartic Piece by eddy kwon". I Care If You Listen.
  8. 1 2 "yuniya edi kwon | FCA Grant Recipient". Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  9. "Princeton Arts Fellows for 2023-2025 Announced". Lewis Center for the Arts. March 23, 2023.
  10. "Announcing the 2025 Guggenheim Fellows". Guggenheim Fellowships. April 15, 2025. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Dudley-Evans, Tony (July 8, 2024). "Monheim Triennale: The Prequel". UK Jazz News. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  12. "June 2024 Jazz Record Reviews". Stereophile.com. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2025.