She graduated from JU in 2001. Her resume
is long and storied, from the documentary
film "The Other Side of Home," shortlisted for
the 2017 Oscars, to popular network shows,
including NBC’s “Blindspot” and CW’s
“Riverdale.”
“Having grown up in the northeastern part
of the country with cold and dreary winters,
sunny Florida looked quite appealing,” says
Chung. As a classically-trained pianist, she
was drawn by JU’s music program, preferring
its intimate atmosphere and capacity for
in-depth study. According to Chung, JU had
many advantages over other universities,
including its faculty. She studied with
retired Professor of Composition Dr. William
Schirmer and Mary Lou Krosnick, Chung’s
private piano teacher and mentor at JU.
After graduation, she applied to the University
of Southern California’s Scoring for Motion
Picture and Television Graduate Program,
and returned to JU for private lessons with
Schirmer and Steve. “I definitely attribute part
of where I am today to JU faculty,” she says.
A long-time collaborator with composer
Blake Neely, she recalls working together
on several memorable scores, including
CW’s “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” and
DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow.” In addition
to her role as composer, Chung is also
an accomplished pianist, vocalist, and
songwriter with two original albums. She
performs on a regular basis with her band in
Los Angeles, and her voice can be heard in
ABC’s “Resurrection,” CW’s “Arrow,” NBC's
“Blindspot,” and Emmy-nominated Netflix
documentary series “The Keepers.”
Of the practical wisdom she has gained since
stepping on to JU’s campus, she often says
to students, “In the film/tv/media composing
world, the more you know about how music
is constructed, the better you can wield
your sword. Film composing is first about
composing. Secondly, it’s about storytelling.”
The Re-telling of Hanson
Hanson's official biography has yet to be
published. A large volume of his personal
effects, writings, letters, and unfinished scores
are now in the care of the Sibley Music Library
and David Peter Coppen. “On one of my trips
to Eastman, I met Vince Lenti, the last person
Hanson appointed to his faculty. It was Lenti
who discovered a handwritten autobiography
in Hanson's office.” Watkins says he described
the manuscript as “a colossal mess.”
It consisted of box after box of yellowed
notebook paper with scribbled details
about his life and work. Both Lenti and
Watkins agree that the famed composer's
penmanship left much to be desired. The
deciphering of the text has required a
significant investment of time. “It resulted in
two thick volumes,” Watkins says. “He was
old school. No computer, just a typewriter. I
was allowed to photograph every page.”
In 2009, Lenti published Serving a Great
and Noble Art: Howard Hanson and the
Eastman School of Music through Meloria
Press, which quickly became the authority
on Hanson's Eastman years and later life.
Another book by James E. Perone (1993),
Lenti’s book, and this unpublished manuscript
are the only biographical sketches currently
known. Neither Lenti or Perone offered in-
depth explorations of Hanson's early life.
Continued on next page.
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