My personal history:

In my undergraduate years I explored the world of physics. I had always been drawn to the world of physics—the window through which we gaze at the universe—ever since I’d been fed the breadcrumbs of relativity and quantum mechanics. I longed to understand the strange whispers that somehow elude common sense, only to reward you with a simpler and more elegant picture after a long struggle of comprehension. It is in my later years of college, however, that I made another crucial discovery about myself. As much as I cherished the process of discovering mathematical rules, hunting for an answer that already exists—I realized that a greater passion lay in creation.

It was something I’d previously overlooked. All my life creation had been as natural as breathing. I wrote stories ever since I could read the alphabet. I wrote songs and simplistic pieces of music ever since I could hum. My ideas of fun—aside from the couple years in my early adulthood when I loved to party—were creation, were always creation. My love and wonder for the universe persisted, and will persist—but it became more clear to me that it’s to be woven onto manuscript paper.

I have to admit that a certain duo of violinists (to be specific, this certain video of them eating durians) has quite a lot to do with the rekindling of my interest in classical music. I had grown up loving Viennese classical music, and played the viola for a long time myself, but had not considered music a career option before then. Somewhen around this time I locked myself in my room to listen to 50 symphonies (it took three days) looking to broaden my scope of music, and henceforth my love extended to the late romantic era, which left a deeper and more compelling trace in my heart that later pushed me toward a completely different direction.

It was in 2023 that I took my first steps as an aspiring composer. In January 2023 I had a ‘musical phase,’ when I locked myself in my room (once again) and wrote a musical for an entire week. (The musical is still unfinished to this date.) I realized, blatantly put, that I was terrible at writing orchestral overtures. Before then it had not occurred to me that I could write anything more complicated than monophony (implying, of course, a chord progression with only primary triads. Goodness.) And yet I attempted to escape these confines—and I drastically failed.

So I began to teach myself composition starting March. (February, I was partying.) I watched YouTube videos on Sonata forms, and wrote my own sonata movement. I tried theme and variation, wrote a terrible rondo. Then after a month of studying I applied for master’s degree programs in Seoul National University and Yonsei University. I knew I was behind whatever there was to be behind, I was simply hoping someone would appreciate my zeal and teach me. Of course, I got rejected.

While finishing my master’s in mathematics, I continued my studies on the side. I analyzed works, taught myself the piano (with the help of a friend who had previously studied the piano in Moscow) and made a very slow progress. But an early-onset creative block overtook me and for nearly all of 2024 I could not write a single piece.

So I resumed my hunt for schools. I had vowed to live for my own art, and being a full-time student was the only way to become as good as I wanted to be. I listened to hundreds of works by living contemporary composers, and selected one school that inspired me greatly. It was a world-renowned school, and I had no background and so much room for improvement, so I did not expect to get in. So it came as a rapturous surprise when the said school offered me admission.

Thanks to the vision and generosity of the faculty, I am beginning my studies in composition at New England Conservatory in Boston starting this fall. (2025) I am excited for all there is to learn, and cannot wait to connect with my fellow artists.

More about me:

1 – My main instrument is the viola. I am in the (very slow) process of learning and perfecting Hoffmeister’s Concerto in D.
To be honest I am not very talented in instruments, and it takes extremely long to understand physical movement in depth. I still have not figured out how to relax the left hand. Any tips from violists (and violinists) are more than welcome.
(Please don’t kick me out for staring intensely at your left hand when you perform. This is something I greatly look forward to.)

2 – The reason I switched to the viola from the violin is because my teacher is a violist. I used to get jealous of her having a C string.
And do I regret switching? Yes, every single time I have to stretch my fingers like a hair tie in hell to do chords and stuff. (Small hands, long arms, 16-inch viola.)

3 – My favorite violist is my teacher, Miza Lee.

4 – I mentally talk to my favorite composer. You can take a guess on who he is—he’s recently made public domain! (Hint: he married his cousin)
Sometimes talking to him helps me figure things out. It’s especially fun to talk to him about his own pieces.

5 – I don’t always end up doing what I have to do. I have half-clinical (unofficial diagnosis) attention problems, and am a sort of perfectionist. (ergo a master procrastinator.) Please throw tomatoes at me if you catch me procrastinating.

6 – There was a time where I could play nothing on the piano except for Chopin’s waterfall etude. (After relearning the piano I take that back. I cannot play that thing. Yet.)

<Unhinged hobby section>

7 – I write as a hobby. (Me and writing are purely platonic, however, unlike me and music (purely erotic. Whatever that means.)) Google my name, and you’ll find a book I wrote. I began writing that thing since 2011 and finished in 2024. I’ll likely not have much time to work on any other writing projects in the coming years, but I’ll still be writing from time to time to clear my head.

8 – I write a lot of breakup songs. There’s an alter-ego you can find on Spotify. Everything done under that name (deliberately chosen to have nothing to do with me) was done for fun and for fun only.

9 – Favorite sport: figure skating. I can land a half axel and a very bad salchow. I often dream about skating, and in these dreams I can always land quintuple axels. Take that Yuzuru!

10 – Rollerblading, however, is not a possibility for me. I’m terrified for my existence on any modified fast-moving shoes without a long blade and proper toe pick.