February 1, 2013
Douglas Chung is a professional violinist/business owner who has operated Soloist Music on Broad Avenue for the past 13 years. He also teaches violin at the Leonia Conservatory of Music and is the musical director/concert master of the Atempo Chamber Ensemble. He’s a member of the Leonia Board of Education, the Leonia Planning Board and a founding member of Leonia Arts. He and his wife Mi-Young have lived in Leonia for 20 years. Their daughter, June, is an eighth grader at Leonia Middle School.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I was raised with my two sisters and a brother in the third largest city in Korea, Daegu, which is located in the southern part of the country.
Q: When did you begin playing the violin?
A: My father, an amateur violinist, began teaching me when I was five. It was a great privilege because, for many years after the Korean War, people were very poor and few young people could afford to learn and play musical instruments. In the second grade, I studied with a good teacher in town, who encouraged me to enter annual competitions. I won around 15 national competitions from second grade to high school, including the Grand Prix in the National Competition for Young Artists. Fortunately, my musical talent got me a full scholarship to Young Nam University.
Q: Did you perform professionally after college?
A: I had to first serve a year in the Korean Army, which is mandatory for all young men. When I got out, I took an overnight train to Seoul to audition for a first violin position in the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and was accepted. A few years later I auditioned for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and spent two years playing for them. Then, I joined the KBS Orchestra until I moved to the U.S. in 1985. I also played with numerous chamber groups in Seoul.
Q: What kind of violin do you play?
A: I have a 330-year old Cappa violin from Italy. It still has the original varnish from 1680!
Q: What brought you to the United States?
A: In 1979 the Korean National Symphony Orchestra was the first Korean orchestra to tour in the United States. We travelled by bus all over the country, performing 25 concerts in two months. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I knew I wanted to move here someday, and in 1985 I came to the US. Later, I decided to live here permanently, first living with my aunt in Queens.
Q: What did you most enjoy about the tour?
A: I have so many great memories of every city, but especially liked the snow in Chicago, the beaches of Miami, and playing in Carnegie Hall in New York City. A wonderful memory of the bus ride through California was driving past orchards full of oranges for five straight hours. We got hooked on big American breakfasts – eggs, sausage, pancakes, and white toast.
Q: What’s something few people know about you?
A: As a teenager, I was passionate about sports. I played on many teams: soccer, basketball, bowling, and baseball. I was also good at judo; my brother became a professional judo artist. When I was 16, I declared to my parents and violin teacher that I wanted to be a professional athlete instead of a musician. No way, they all said.
Q: Do you play any sport now?
A: I didn’t participate in any sports when I first moved here, but 15 years ago, I decided to play tennis and lose some of the weight I had gained by eating wonderful American food. Once I started playing tennis every morning, I lost 30 pounds in six months. Unfortunately, I had shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff and can’t play as much now.
Q: How did you meet your wife?
A: We met in 1987 at the Korean Community Church in Leonia (the Leonia Methodist Church). She was visiting the U.S. for a year while she was in graduate school and was a member of the choir at the church. We were married at the same church a year later on Valentine’s Day. She has been serving as a pianist/organist at Hackensack United Methodist Church for 25 years. She also works for Samsung Electronics in Ridgefield Park.
Q: When did you start Atempo Chamber Ensemble?
A: We had our inaugural concert, featuring works of Vivaldi, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, this past October at the Hackensack United Methodist Church. Atempo is made up of seventeen professional musicians from this area. The musical term “A tempo” means return to the original tempo. I think people these days are so busy; we need to control our tempo and relax sometimes.
Q: Do you listen to music other than classical?
A: I like jazz and Broadway show tunes.
Q: What’s a fun night out for you and your family?
A: Any concert in the city followed by “eye shopping” (window shopping) downtown, then dinner in the lower level of Hop Kee’s in Chinatown. My favorite dishes there are the Cantonese-style crab and flounder with ginger sauce.
Q: Where do you like to vacation in the U.S.?
A: My family has been to Maine several times and we enjoy eating lobster there. Two to three times a year, we visit my brother-in-law’s family in Pittsburgh.
Q: What’s your favorite American holiday?
A: Fourth of July! I love the fireworks. We also celebrate by grilling Korean barbecue.
Q: What do you most enjoy about Leonia?
A: Leonia is a short bus ride from all the culture in the city, but it’s also close to nature, with the Overpeck Park, and the creek. It has balance. I also like the fact that it’s a community with many artists and musicians who share their talent with the community. One example is the Annual ACS Parents Classical Concert. This year four teachers are also performing. When my daughter was at ACS, I always performed. This is a wonderful opportunity to expose children to classical music.
Q: What’s something you’d like to see down the road in Leonia?
A: An active Chamber of Commerce, a music hall, and more volunteer involvement of the Korean-American community. I’d also like to see a Leonia Youth Orchestra and Band, similar to the one in Ridgewood.
Q: Where can we hear you perform?
A: Atempo Chamber Ensemble performs two to three times a year, and every Christmas, I’m the concertmaster for “The Messiah” at the Korean churches in this area. It’s a free concert for the community, followed by a traditional Korean feast.
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