Yuniya edi kwon

Last updated

yuniya edi kwon
Born1989 (age 35–36)
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.
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