Janet Sung

The American violinist Janet Sung has been a common sight in orchestral concerts, on festival programs, and in recital, both in the U.S. and beyond. She released her debut solo album, Edge of Youth, in 2019. Sung was born in New York. She started playing the violin at seven, gave her public recital debut a year later, and appeared at nine with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. That year she also began studying with Josef Gingold and remained under his tuition throughout her undergraduate years, which involved completing a double major in anthropology and music at Harvard. After that she entered the Juilliard School on full scholarship for studies with Dorothy DeLay, becoming one of that legendary pedagogue's last students before her death in 2002. After completing her Juilliard master's, Sung was invited back to Harvard as Clifton Visiting Artist, and she has given master classes at many American schools. Her concerto appearances have included those with various American orchestras as well as Korea's Pusan Philharmonic, the Omsk Philharmonic in Russia, and the Britten Sinfonia. She has also been a guest artist at some of the most prestigious American festivals including the Aspen, Hot Springs, and Green Mountain Music Festivals. Sung has been championed by conductor Leonard Slatkin, who selected her as the recipient of the Passamaneck Award. Sung has often been heard on television and radio broadcasts, including the National Public Radio network's Performance Today program. She has toured with country-classical fiddler Mark O'Connor and appeared on pop albums by Blackstreet and Lisa Loeb. She has often championed contemporary music, and Edge of Youth, which appeared on the Sono Luminus label, consisted entirely of works written after 1935 and included three contemporary pieces. Sung is professor violin and head of the strings department at Chicago's DePaul University. ~ James Manheim