Youngmi Cho - Composer
Youngmi Cho is a composer based in Seoul, a visiting professor of Suwon University and an adjunct instructor in Cheonnam University. She also serves as a managing editor of the computer music journal, Emille, and worked as a member of iHEAB(interactive Hybrid Electroacoustic Band) and a research fellow on developing Gugak VSTi and on compiling Online Korean Encyclopedia. Her works has been performed in Singapore Asian Composers Festival, Seoul International Computer Music Festival, Young Asian Musicians' Connection in Taiwan, SoundSCAPE Festival in Italy, HighScore Contemporary Music Festival in Italy, Etchings International Contemporary Music Festival in France, International Forum on Acoustical Ecology in Greece, TIMARA Electronic Music Workshops in US, Hawaii International Conference on Arts in US, etc. She was a winner composer of Singapore Asian Composers League and Korean Ensemble Music Expo, and was recipient of the 1st prize in the multimedia category of Illinois State Arts Tech Annual. Youngmi has studied with composers Cheong-ik Chang, Scott Lindroth, Stephen Jaffe, and Rodney Waschka II, and with arts-technician Aaron Paolucci. She holds a PhD in music from Duke University, an MSci from the Illinois State University, and BMus from Seoul National University.
Online works: https://vimeo.com/user34598086
Dharani/ 다라니(陀羅尼)
Soprano, Electronic Keyboard
The title, “Dharani” indicates a mystic Buddhist formula derived from Sanskrit. The words are made up of exorcising scriptures, a kind of implicative and long incantation not to be interpreted as a language. The demonstration of the words goes through the process that the sound comes in me and then myself enters Buddha. The work represents such transmissions of sounds, and their alternations and combinations for a soprano, an electric piano, and the interplay of electrics. Dharani is generally sung with the repetition of short tunes accompanying occasional pulses by a few percussion instruments. The composer employs and develops them as the source ideas to imaginably enhance its sonic expression.