Vivian Fung
Composer

Vivian Fung has distinguished herself among the foremost composers of her generation. Since earning her doctorate from The Juilliard School in 2002, Fung has increasingly embraced non-classical influences, including jazz and non-Western sources such as Indonesian gamelan and folk songs from the minority regions of China. The New York Times has described her work as "evocative," and The Strad hails her Uighur-influenced music as "vital as encountering Steve Reich or the Kronos for the first time." Chicago Tribune described Fung's most recent work Yunnan Folk Songs as conveying "a winning rawness that went beyond exoticism."

Highlights of Fung's recent world premieres include: Yunnan Folk Songs by Fulcrum Point New Music Project in Chicago; new choral works by the acclaimed Suwon Civic Chorale in South Korea; Chant by pianist Margaret Leng Tan at the Museum of Modern Art in New York; Piano Concerto Dreamscapes by pianist Jenny Lin with Metropolis Ensemble in New York City; and the standing-ovation premiere of her String Quartet No. 2 commissioned by the Shanghai Quartet for its 25th anniversary season.

Fung's upcoming projects include a composer spotlight at Americas Society in NYC featuring her works performed by the rising stars of Canadian music; a new violin concerto for violinist Kristin Lee and the Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble in New York City; the world premiere of a new work for full orchestra led by Gerard Schwarz to celebrate the Eastern Music Festival's 50th anniversary; and her Pizzicato for String Quartet for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Opening Night program, Fireworks! this coming September 2011.

Fung has traveled extensively for her work. In 2004, she traveled to Bali, Indonesia as part of the Asia Pacific Performance Exchange Program, sponsored by the UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance. In summer 2010, as an ensemble member of Gamelan Dharma Swara, she completed a performance tour of Bali including competing in the Bali Arts Festival.

Fung's music has been commercially released on the Telarc, Cedille, and Signpost labels. She has an impressive body of compositions commissioned and performed by such ensembles as the Seattle Symphony, San José Chamber Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, American String Quartet, Afiara String Quartet, Escher String Quartet, Music from China, and American Opera Projects to name a few.

Fung has been composer-in-residence of the Music in the Loft chamber music series in Chicago, the San José Chamber Orchestra, and the Billings Symphony. She has also completed residencies at the MacDowell, Yaddo, and Banff arts colonies as well as two residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Fung is the 2010 New York Foundation for the Arts' Gregory Millard fellow. She has received numerous awards and grants from ASCAP, BMI, American Music Center, American Composers' Forum, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Born in Edmonton, Canada, Vivian Fung began composition studies with composer Violet Archer. Other early influences include her mentors David Diamond, Narcis Bonet, and Robert Beaser. Fung is affiliated with The Juilliard School and is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre.

Fung's works have increasingly become part of the core repertoire. Recognized by the New York Times as "the most memorable part" of the Ying Quartet's concert at Weill Recital Hall, Fung's Pizzicato was part of the quartet's repertory for two seasons. Her Glimpses for prepared piano is being embraced by a diverse group of pianists, including Margaret Leng Tan and Vicky Chow. After the world premiere of Fung's String Quartet No. 2 by the Shanghai Quartet at the Freer Gallery in Washington D.C., the Shanghais have included the work on their roster, including giving the Canadian premiere at the Edmonton Chamber Music Society this past March.

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