Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Jung.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My childhood was one of many homes. I was born in Pittsburgh, PA and grew up switching schools and cities to Boise, ID, Eden Prairie, MN, and finally here, San Diego, CA. My dad’s job was unpredictable, and it left me with no constants in my dynamic living situation; music became the golden vein that united all my different stories.
I have studied both the violin and piano for about 12 years, and my progress on both instruments faced more than the usual amount of hardship. In 2014, I noticed my first symptoms of chromesthesia – a synesthetic disorder was hearing sounds immediately triggers a visual phenomenon of color. Though people close to me saw it almost like a superpower, to me it was a confusing curse that would mess with my mind while I played music, and I almost dropped piano and violin altogether.
However, when I started playing in the San Diego Youth Symphony and bigger orchestra groups instead of playing solo violin or piano, I noticed my chromesthesia bothered me less, and I began to perceive it as beautiful. Embracing my chromesthesia made me a better musician. It taught me how to be more musical according to the brightness and opacity of the colors I was seeing, and I fell in love with the art of orchestra. After earning and being recognized as concertmistress (first chair) of multiple orchestras and other leadership positions, I decided to do something bigger: I became the founder and director of my own summer music nonprofit.
The Carmel Valley Summer Symphony began as 15 of my friends crammed into a living room meant for four. One of our friends conducted and his “podium” was the crown molding on the fireplace, a family drum set served as a makeshift timpani, and our concert was a small one with 30 guests composed of friends and family at the local Boys and Girls Club. In lieu of our purpose as gathering together before we all started high school, we decided to raise funds at our concert for the very program that had brought us together and fostered us to be student musicians, the Carmel Valley Middle School Music Boosters.
Four annual cycles and a lot of hard work later, we boast having over 110 student participants and more than $4,500 donated to more music education programs in the community. We now rehearse in the newly built music building at CVMS, perform at the Proscenium Theatre at CCA which seats over 300 and have a network of professional coaches and conductors who have taught at our student-run program. Our intensive is two weeks long and therefore a logistic monster to plan, so I now have a team of dedicated students helping me plan this incredible and unique experience year-round.
The Summer Symphony is undoubtedly the achievement in my life I am the most proud of, but in the sense that I have been blessed enough to be able to create a second family for all the students that partake in this program. When I started my music career while moving around the U.S., my music families were what made me feel safe and they were my personal haven; to be able to share that feeling of home has been the most rewarding experience of my life.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? Any advice for other women, particularly young women who are just starting their journey?
Music is a field that has been around a long time but definitely still needs improvement in terms of diversity. The majority of conductors, orchestra principals, rock stars, pop artists, and musicians in the industry being male definitely used to intimidate me.
However, I realized thinking that stigma could deter me from my goals to be concertmaster one day or even a conductor was a foolish time, and I was right time and time again. If you want to achieve a goal, concertmistress or dream career, do not let discrimination or stereotypes be the excuse in letting your dreams go. I believe that being ambitious is admired and earning the position you want in life should be based on your merit, girl dreamer or boy dreamer.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Carmel Valley Summer Symphony – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Apart from the Summer Symphony, my weekly schedule is composed of about 30 hours of music-related activities. I am currently seated Concertmistress of my high school’s orchestra, Associate Concertmistress chair of the highest level orchestra in the San Diego Youth Symphony, Concertmistress of Youth En Gedi Ensemble (my teacher’s studio ensemble that donates funds back to abandoned babies in South Korea), and I play in my piano trio, Trio Vivo, with whom I have traveled to venues like Carnegie Hall in New York to compete with.
Aside from performing, I love teaching music. I have seen the power of music education impact not only myself, but the 300 musicians who have passed through the Summer Symphony program. Instead of sleeping in every Sunday morning, I teach students with autism or Asperger’s who have an incredible interest and passion for music but have been prevented from learning because society chooses to marginalize them. I also continue my work in the special needs community at AMASE (Academy of Music and Art for Special Education) every Friday, and I started the Special Needs Tutoring branch at my club at school, CCA Music Outreach, where high schoolers can connect with special needs students and improve their own music education by teaching.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Though I love music and will continue to pursue it in college, I am interested in uniting my interests in neuroscience and music as a STEM major during my undergraduate. Some books I love with science or medical backgrounds are “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanathi and “Phantoms in the Brain” by Sandra Blakeslee and V. S. Ramachandran”.
For the musicians, “TE Tuner” is probably my most used app on my iPhone. Worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: cvsummersymphony.weebly.com
- Phone: 8582608377
- Email: estherjung75@gmail.com
- Instagram: esthjung
Image Credit:
2019 Carmel Valley Summer Symphony
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