Chopsalteok 찹쌀떡 (2012)
Baritone (or Tenor) and SATB Choir
4 Minutes
written for Indiana University Symphonic Choir and Jaeeun Kim
Performance History
5/22/2024 Sejong Soloists w/ Frank Huang, Daniel Cho, David Chan, and Andrew Wan, New York, NY
8/24/2024 Sejong Soloists w/ Frank Huang, Daniel Cho, David Chan, and Andrew Wan, Seoul, South Korea
2/17/2013 Indiana University Symphonic Choirw/ Danny Xie (ten.) & Jaeeun Kim (cond.), Bloomington, IN
1/21/2014 Indiana University student choir w/ Connor Lidell (bar.) & Jaeeun Kim (cond.), Bloomington, IN
2/27/2014 NOTUS w/ Connor Lidell (bar.) & Dominick DiOrio (cond.), Cincinnati, OH
3/11/2014 NOTUS w/ Connor Lidell (bar.) & Dominick DiOrio (cond.), Bloomington, IN
10/20/2015 OS Chamber Choir w/ Ouk-Sook Kim (cond.), Seoul, South Korea
11/7/2015 OS Chamber Choir w/ Ouk-Sook Kim (cond.), Seoul, South Korea
10/14/2018 Blooming Arirang Choir w/ Hana Cai (cond.), Bloomington, IN
9/20/2019 Modern Singers Seoul w/ Sol Chin (cond.), Seoul, South Korea
10/20/2019 University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale w/ Andrew Durham (ten.) & Kent Hatteberg (cond.), Louisville, KY
10/24/2019 University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale w/ Andrew Durham (ten.) & Kent Hatteberg (cond.), Louisville, KY
10/25/2019 Cardinal Singers w/ Andrew Durham (ten.) & Kent Hatteberg (cond.), Kalamazoo, MI
12/18/2021 Choeur Trium w/ Eun Jung Park (cond.), Sherbrooke, QC Canada
11/24/2022 Bucheon Civic Chorale w/ Jaeeun Kim (cond.), Bucheon, South Korea
5/17/2025 The Boston Cecilia w/ Connor Vigeant (ten.) & Michael Barrett (cond.), Brookline, MA
Review Excerpts
"the brilliant Chopsalteok... fused humor and nostalgia, deploying extended vocal effects... the performance embraced the whimsy, and the soloists passing out rice cakes on his walk down the aisles reinforced the music's grounding in both a universal love of food and a more cultural memory" - Boston Classical Review, Lani Lee
4 Minutes
written for Indiana University Symphonic Choir and Jaeeun Kim
Performance History
5/22/2024 Sejong Soloists w/ Frank Huang, Daniel Cho, David Chan, and Andrew Wan, New York, NY
8/24/2024 Sejong Soloists w/ Frank Huang, Daniel Cho, David Chan, and Andrew Wan, Seoul, South Korea
2/17/2013 Indiana University Symphonic Choirw/ Danny Xie (ten.) & Jaeeun Kim (cond.), Bloomington, IN
1/21/2014 Indiana University student choir w/ Connor Lidell (bar.) & Jaeeun Kim (cond.), Bloomington, IN
2/27/2014 NOTUS w/ Connor Lidell (bar.) & Dominick DiOrio (cond.), Cincinnati, OH
3/11/2014 NOTUS w/ Connor Lidell (bar.) & Dominick DiOrio (cond.), Bloomington, IN
10/20/2015 OS Chamber Choir w/ Ouk-Sook Kim (cond.), Seoul, South Korea
11/7/2015 OS Chamber Choir w/ Ouk-Sook Kim (cond.), Seoul, South Korea
10/14/2018 Blooming Arirang Choir w/ Hana Cai (cond.), Bloomington, IN
9/20/2019 Modern Singers Seoul w/ Sol Chin (cond.), Seoul, South Korea
10/20/2019 University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale w/ Andrew Durham (ten.) & Kent Hatteberg (cond.), Louisville, KY
10/24/2019 University of Louisville Collegiate Chorale w/ Andrew Durham (ten.) & Kent Hatteberg (cond.), Louisville, KY
10/25/2019 Cardinal Singers w/ Andrew Durham (ten.) & Kent Hatteberg (cond.), Kalamazoo, MI
12/18/2021 Choeur Trium w/ Eun Jung Park (cond.), Sherbrooke, QC Canada
11/24/2022 Bucheon Civic Chorale w/ Jaeeun Kim (cond.), Bucheon, South Korea
5/17/2025 The Boston Cecilia w/ Connor Vigeant (ten.) & Michael Barrett (cond.), Brookline, MA
Review Excerpts
"the brilliant Chopsalteok... fused humor and nostalgia, deploying extended vocal effects... the performance embraced the whimsy, and the soloists passing out rice cakes on his walk down the aisles reinforced the music's grounding in both a universal love of food and a more cultural memory" - Boston Classical Review, Lani Lee
Program Note
In winter nights of my early teenage years, there used to be a specific type of vendor (찹쌀떡 in Korean) wandering around the town selling mostly Chopsalteok and Memilmuk (메밀묵). Chopsalteok is sweet, gooey, and fluffy ball-shaped rice cake made of glutinous rice and stuffed with red bean (or Azuki bean) paste. Memilmuk is jelly made from buckwheat starch, usually served with soy sauce. In Korean Folklore, both Memilmuk and red bean are supposedly able to protect people from Dokebi (도깨비), Korean goblins.
This four-minute piece, Chopsalteok [Tʃapsaltɔk], is about of one of those windy nights, when I heard in the distance the song of a Tʃapsaltɔk vendor. The song consists only of a simple melody with the two words “Chopsalteok” and “Memilmuk” repeated, and is quoted as the primary material in my work. Hearing the song, one might feel hungry and want to buy those snacks. This piece also depicts one's increasing appetite and expectation as the vendor approaches, as well as the prospect of enjoying the snack eventually.
찹쌀떡 is written for and premiered by Indiana University Symphonic Choir at the request of Jaeeun Kim. It will also be performed by NOTUS: IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble with Professor Dominick DiOrio at the ACDA6 Cincinnati Regional Convention on February 26 and at its regular concert on March 11.
close program note
In winter nights of my early teenage years, there used to be a specific type of vendor (찹쌀떡 in Korean) wandering around the town selling mostly Chopsalteok and Memilmuk (메밀묵). Chopsalteok is sweet, gooey, and fluffy ball-shaped rice cake made of glutinous rice and stuffed with red bean (or Azuki bean) paste. Memilmuk is jelly made from buckwheat starch, usually served with soy sauce. In Korean Folklore, both Memilmuk and red bean are supposedly able to protect people from Dokebi (도깨비), Korean goblins.
This four-minute piece, Chopsalteok [Tʃapsaltɔk], is about of one of those windy nights, when I heard in the distance the song of a Tʃapsaltɔk vendor. The song consists only of a simple melody with the two words “Chopsalteok” and “Memilmuk” repeated, and is quoted as the primary material in my work. Hearing the song, one might feel hungry and want to buy those snacks. This piece also depicts one's increasing appetite and expectation as the vendor approaches, as well as the prospect of enjoying the snack eventually.
찹쌀떡 is written for and premiered by Indiana University Symphonic Choir at the request of Jaeeun Kim. It will also be performed by NOTUS: IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble with Professor Dominick DiOrio at the ACDA6 Cincinnati Regional Convention on February 26 and at its regular concert on March 11.
close program note