Today we’d like to introduce you to Heng-Jin Park.
Heng-Jin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Korea and started playing the piano at age five in Korea. When I was 10, my mother and I moved to the US. It was an extremely painful period in my life. My father had just passed away at the young age of 41 and left my mother with four young children to raise. Also, my paternal grandmother, who lived with us my entire childhood and who raised us, passed away from grief only a few weeks after my father’s passing.
My mother had no means of supporting this large brood so she reached out to her sister who had been living in the United States for many years and then decided to emigrate there. Thinking that it would be too difficult to bring all the children over with her at once, she chose to only bring me (the oldest) and left the other three behind with relatives. She assumed that the separation would be a short one but it would be two years before my siblings joined us in the US. Therefore, this immigration for me was not only about losing my country of birth and my culture, but my entire family except my mother.
After our arrival in the US, the transition was extremely difficult to say the least. Both of us were mourning all our losses, neither of us were able to speak the language, I was thrust into an elementary school in a completely white community and was teased for being Asian, etc. etc. Music was the only thread carried over from my previous life to my new life in the US and my only consolation. It became even more personal and dear to my heart.
I had my first solo performance with the Boston Pops in Boston Symphony Hall at age 15 and went on to study music at New England Conservatory and Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Since that time, I’ve performed on stages around the world as a soloist, as a founding member of The Boston Trio, and with numerous accomplished musicians.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Certainly, there have been some bumps along the road. I would say the biggest hurdle was when I was in my mid-20’s, I developed carpel tunnel syndrome and tendinitis from over practicing while preparing to finish my master’s degree at NEC and preparing for international competitions. I was forced to stop playing the piano for the next 6 years. While I did pursue a myriad of medical treatments, I stopped short of surgical procedures.
However, when it became evident that I either had to relinquish my dream of a concert career entirely or move forward to more radical treatments, the choice was an obvious one. In my early 30’s, I had major surgery on both hands and took another year to slowly come back to playing with the help of physical therapy. I have been most fortunate that through much support from friends, a lot of hard work and luck, I was able to resume my performing career.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Halcyon Music Festival – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Halcyon Music Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary this June. The Halcyon Music Festival brings 23 world-class musicians together for two weeks to live, rehearse and perform seven unique chamber music concerts.
The Halcyon Music Festival is the realization of a dream I have had for decades: One of sharing and making the greatest chamber music accessible to everyone.
The mission of the Halcyon Music Festival is to create a community where chamber music will be explored and presented at the highest artistic level; and to make chamber music accessible to everyone, in particular those who might not otherwise experience it in a concert hall. Each year, the Halcyon Music Festival presents two weeks of passionate, compelling performances, with a focus on providing opportunities for enrichment to people of all ages and musical backgrounds.
Halcyon Music Festival is committed to supporting the arts in the greater Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, and seeks to enhance the growth of chamber music on a local and national level by bringing world-class musicians and talented young professionals to live, work, and perform together.
I chose the NH Seacoast as a location because I have always loved Portsmouth and its surrounding areas. It’s a marriage of the beauty of both visual and musical aesthetics.
I’m particularly excited about this upcoming season. We’ve expanded the number of musicians and this year’s roster includes my son, Jonah Ellsworth. He is an extremely accomplished cellist who recently joined violinist Irina Muresanu and me as part of the Boston Trio. The Boston Trio will be opening the festival on June 21.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As Halcyon Music Festival moves from its infancy to maturity, I look forward to continued growth in terms of audience engagement, and most importantly, having an artistic impact on the Seacoast community at large.
Pricing:
- The Halcyon Music Festival runs June 21-30th this year and features seven concerts.
- There is a suggested $25 donation for individual concerts.
- Audience members interested in attending more than one performance are encouraged to purchase one of the discounted subscription options: $150 for the full festival; $130 for six concerts; $110 for five concerts; $88 for four concerts; $65 for three concerts.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.halcyonmusicfestival.org
- Phone: 617-651-1387
- Email: Halcyonmusicfestival@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/halcyonmusicfestival/
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