Jaehyeok Choi, a Master’s student in Prof. Markus Hechtle’s composition class, has won first prize in the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award in Tokyo.
Jörg Widmann, member of the jury, on the award-winning work: Jaehyeok Choi’s Supernova for Orchestra is an almost classic example of highly nuanced, meticulously crafted orchestration and instrumentation. What stands out most here is the logic and consistency of its structure. The piece steadfastly adheres to a single motif of aphoristic conciseness — a small, primal musical cell. It is, in a sense, a celebration of pure sound and structure itself.
Jaehyeok Choi was born in Cheonan, South Korea, in 1998. He is a composer whose music explores the inner dimensions of human existence and social conflict. He studied composition under Professor Jaemoon Lee at Chung-Ang University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree. His works reconstruct the wounds and memories of our time through refined structures and delicate soundscapes, reflecting on fundamental questions of being. His music has been performed by Ensemble Wiro, the Seogwipo Wind Orchestra, and the Busan City Choir. Choi addresses themes such as war, isolation, and solidarity across diverse instrumentations. His notable works include New Cold War, Irreconcilable, and Arirang.