Kyung-A Ahn was born in Seoul, South Korea, although she has lived in Carmel for eight years. She graduated from Indiana University last year with a doctorate in composition. Her works have been performed in the U.S., Korea and across Europe.
Two months ago, she was introduced to the CarmelFest committee by a friend. After hearing her rough draft of a theme piece for the festival, committee members immediately decided to bring her on board. She has concocted a four-and-a-half-minute orchestral theme that touches on both the feel of the city and the jubilant atmosphere of a festival like this. “It’s such an honor to write a piece about the city I love.”
Before beginning the composition process, she briefly considered doing something like a “more casual” rock or pop piece, but decided it needed to be more classically grounded to capture the “dignity” of the city. This classicism is balanced out with strong contemporary themes that reflect the design-conscious nature of Carmel.
“I’m a musician and I’m happy to write… especially for this festival.”