Kyung Wha Chung, my Childhood Superhero

Ever since I was a kid, Kyung Wha Chung has been my Superhero. Whenever I was having a hard time, her music comforted me. When I was happy, her music filled me with energy. Her music was a textbook for me to learn the violin as a hobby. Her music was my teacher and also my friend.

I especially liked her Bach performance. Whenever I had a complicated mind, I would listen to her Bach performance to soothe my mind. Her Bruch Violin Concerto is also one of my favorite playings. Because I loved it so much, I’ve watched her perform Bruch Violin Concerto over and over on Youtube. Her debut performance with London Symphony Orchestra is the best version of her Bruch Concerto.

Besides the sound of her violin, I really love her personality. After I saw her interview when I was young, she immediately became my role model. Her strong personality and tenacity are the reasons why I admire her. Whenever I felt myself weak, I looked up her interviews and tried to be strong. In one of the interviews, she mentioned how hard she practiced. Because she had so much pain physically by having hours of practice, she had to take medicines to continue practicing. As I listened to that interview, I was astonished by the amount of effort she invested to her performance. I realized that it takes a tremendous amount of effort to achieve what I desperately want.

A few days ago, I had a chance to go to her concert. She played Greig Violin Sonata, Brahms Violin Sonata, and Frank Violin Sonata. Every piece she played was beautiful beyond description. It was a grateful moment to be alive. Her piano accompaniment made her violin sound more prominent. The pair made that music hall a heaven. Her beautiful sound of the violin sometimes warmed my heart and made me reminisce.

After her last program, Frank Violin Sonata, people bursted up to give her a round of applause. She replied with a big smile and even shouted “ I love you” to the crowd. The smile on her face was the biggest one I’d ever seen. She then played 4 more encores for us. It was such a wonderful moment. Listening to my childhood superhero’s playing that close made my heart pound so fast. I could barely breathe especially when she played Kreisler’s Liebesleid. She turned around to face the crowd behind her. I could see her war personality through that simple gestrure.

After the concert, she came out to sign autographs for her fans. As a huge fan of her, I could not resist waiting. I waited almost 2 hours to get her autograph. While I was in the line, I thought about what to say to her while getting her autograph. There were just too many words to say in such a short moment. However, when it was my time, what I could say was “Thank you so much for signing all the way to my turn.”. She smiled at me. Her smile was made my heart melt. After I turned around and walked toward the exit, my eyes hurt because of my tears. Although I never thought I would cry by meeting an idol, meeting a true idol of mine had made me tear up. I think that the time that I got comfort from her music and the strong admiration that I have towards her made me cry.

Although it has been a few days after the concert, I still can’t stop thinking about her music. I am grateful that I live in the same era as her.