Pianist Liza Chung: Chilean, Korean, citizen of the world

Yes, with the typical teenage issues. But, at the time, I never felt Chilean. I should add, Chile was much less cosmopolitan than it is now. At school my brother and I were the only Koreans and there were not many other foreigners.

Then I left and studied in Switzerland and the United States. I came back because I was offered a faculty position at the Universidad Católica de Chile.

The Pianist

As a pianist, what are the milestones? Your most important concerts?

I consider all my concerts important. They may be or small venues, small or large audiences, chamber orchestra or alone. But they are all are equally important to me.

Did you enjoy the C. Saint-Saëns piece that you performed at the Teatro de la Universidad de Chile last April?

This concert is not what I had prepared for, I was invited to play and it was quite a challenge. It's a nice piece, for the period in which it was written. Then again, every instrument used all its technical limits. It was very entertaining. It was a beautiful piece.

Do you have a favorite composer?

I like Brahms a lot. He is one of the composers who speaks to me most deeply. I also like Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart. I have a preference for the German composers. I feel more in tune with them; several of them.

Have you ever doubted music as a profession or considered a radical change of profession?

Yes, in fact I left music for a year. I made a decision and left. I worked in management in New York. Like any passionate career that requires more than vocation, one goes through times when you say "enough is enough."  You start to doubt whether this is your true métier.  But when I left it, I realized that the piano was definitely my thing and I came back to it. But there is one profession that has interested me since I was a girl. Had I not become a pianist, I would have been a doctor. A neurosurgeon.  Yet another profession done with the hands.

Yours are quite small. Has this caused difficulty with some pieces?

They say it often has an influence, but I disagree. One manages to get through them, one way or another.

How do you prepare your programs?

Following the pulse of my state of mind or mood. It's fun putting together a program, but is not a question of randomly picking out some pieces. Much of it has to do with the total length required and considering the union of the different pieces to be included. It is an interesting process.

How long does it take to prepare for a concert?

It depends on the demands of the given works, and whether or not you've studied them before.

Were you to receive an invitation to play with an orchestra which already had a pianist, what other instrument would play?

Maybe… the cello. I accompanied a long time. I have played quite a broad chamber repertoire on cello. I used to play quite well with the instrument. But what truly makes it my choice is that I love the instrument; its timbre, its sound.

The Korean

Besides Spanish, do you know any other languages fluently?

I speak five languages: Spanish, Korean, English, French and Italian. I only studied German for a few months, so I don’t count it.

Do you have any interest in remaining permanently in Chile?

I'm fine here, given my stable job and concerts, but I don’t feel as though I belong anywhere in particular. Of course I'm very comfortable here.

What about Korea?

I was born in Korea and raised in Chile; I cannot separate myself from either place. I grew up in a Korean family, with Korean traditions. This is something I cannot put aside. When you mix in the fact that I also lived in Europe for five years…

Tell me a little about what you remember and most value about Korean culture; whether it be in lyrics, music or some other type of expression.

I do not have much contact with Korea apart from my immediate family nor can I orient myself very well in that culture. What I have seen from the outside looking in, given the number of Koreans in the world and especially in music, is that the standard of living has risen a great deal of late. In Korea, people tend to learn things very quickly and, as they say in Chile, they are able to cope with things (aperrar) very well. Also, they assimilate issues very fast and have always been hard-working. This has led to them to success in many areas, such as classical music, for example. But I maintain my ties to traditional Korean culture through my family, and do not have much contact with Korea itself.

In my family’s case, we are the first generation of Koreans to arrive to Chile.

I've seen a tremendous difference between 1992, when I left Chile, and 2006, when I returned in. There has been e a change within Chilean culture and its attitude towards foreigners, particularly to the Koreans. My total experience now includes 34 years. My perception is quite unique, given what I experienced in my family circle, school and music. But I have noticed that, in general, Chileans have become more open-minded about foreigners.

When I was a child, people on the street used to say "look at the chinita (the little Chinese girl)". I know whether they did it with bad intention, but it definitely surprised me. These days Asians have a lower profile, in general, and that's a big change. A positive one for all concerned. For Chileans, because it opens the mind to be more cosmopolitan. And it allows for an easier insertion for foreigners immigrating to Chile. Of course, these types of things happen everywhere. At first, something new strikes us strange, until we become accustomed to it. But this is what I've noticed.

Bottom line, I am very proud of having grown up in Chile, of being Korean, and of having lived abroad.

What specific things does Korean family culture include? Is there something akin to Chile’s once*?

One grows up with the customs of one’s own when living abroad the country. Thus, a family tradition may be viewed as Korean and that's not necessarily always the case. In my family, at least, dinner was always served at night and we ate together. What I do see, and this is common throughout the East, is respect for one’s elders.  Hierarchical structures are more rigid there.  You will never see a younger person lecturing their elder in Korea, for example.

How do you view the division of Korea given its shared ethnicity?

I do not understand it very well.  It’s as if the two Koreas were two sisters with different personalities who grew up in separate environments. There are ties of blood and even families who had no choice but to secede, but the big difference has been in outlook and in ways of life. However, as my past has included so many trips and living abroad, I do not see many differences between ethnic groups. I see individuals as individuals, although I have noticed that the mind-sets in the two Koreas are clearly different. As for similarities, the language is the same, with different accents and a shared past during which very strong ties existed. We even lived in a joint dynasty.

Coming concerts

A solo recital for piano is scheduled June 11, 2008 at the Teatro Regional Maule, in Talca. I have not finalized the program, but it will include Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin.
In the second half of 2008, we have the Universidad Católica Institute of Music’s chamber season, and, as such, a concert with an extremely enjoyable program planned. I'm going to play Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint Saëns on July 24. And there is another program in August.