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Bits ‘n’ Pieces: Violinist lets her music do the talking

By Kaitlin Gillespie
Published: February 6, 2015, 4:00pm

Communication hasn’t always come easily to Haeun Jung — at least, not in the traditional sense.

Jung, a shy, soft-spoken Union High School junior, first moved to the U.S. as a fourth-grader from her family’s home country of South Korea. She struggled at first, she said, not knowing English and growing accustomed to the culture of her new home in Vancouver.

“I had a language barrier,” she said.

But Jung soon found a way to communicate where words failed. Jung, now 16, began playing the violin at age 5 at her private school in Korea. In fifth grade, Jung joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic’s youngest orchestra group.

“It was nice to not speak,” she said.

After rising through the PYP’s ensembles in the past six years, Jung will be a featured soloist in the organization’s upcoming concert at Skyview High School on Sunday. Jung will perform with the Conservatory Orchestra and Wind ensemble, PYP’s second most advanced group.

It’s an exciting but nerve-wracking venture for the young performer, she said. Jung will be performing in Sergei Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 2,” a dark, brooding piece that she said is highly technical. She has been practicing about two hours a day for several months to prepare for the concert, and the practice has paid off.

“It’s very mechanical,” she said. “It has a modern feel to it.”

Jung makes the piece look effortless, despite its challenges. In a video on her YouTube channel, Jung performs the 10-minute solo in the piece’s first movement, her face set and focused as her fingers dance across the strings.

“She’s extraordinarily talented,” said Larry Johnson, the ensemble’s conductor. “She has a wonderful technique and beautiful sound.”

Though fluent in English now — Jung said she’s actually forgetting Korean words here and there — Jung said she still loves speaking to people through her music. She plays in Union High School’s orchestra and a quartet as well as the Portland Youth Philharmonic.

“I like the feeling of passing my ideas,” she said.

Jung also has a full schedule of Advanced Placement classes, clubs and volunteer work, but said she most enjoys the time she can play her violin surrounded by her friends.

Though she plans to begin studying to become a doctor after she graduates high school, Jung said she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a career in music.

“I like playing with people and feeling the music together,” she said.

The PYP, which is in its 91st season, is the longest-running youth orchestra in the United States. About 50 students, or 17 percent of the orchestra’s ensembles, come from Clark County, Johnson said.

“It’s a chance for the community to hear our kids play some great pieces,” Johnson said.

The concert, which also features Robert Schumann’s “Symphony No. 3,” will start at 4 p.m. Sunday at Skyview High School, 1300 N.W. 139th St.

Tickets are $12, and $10 for students and seniors.


Bits ‘n’ Pieces appears Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a story you’d like to share, email bits@columbian.com.

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