MinJoon CHOI is a Korean composer, conductor, performer, and curator whose work lies at the intersection of traditional Korean music and contemporary experimental practices. Rooted in the inherited sonic structures of gugak, his compositions deconstruct and reconfigure them to explore new perceptual and temporal orders. Engaging with concepts of micro-variation, rhythm, and perception, his music investigates the residual traces of the body and the micro-grain of time, shaping fluid and indeterminate sound forms that challenge the boundaries between tradition and the avant-garde.

A recipient of the 44th/42th Korea National Composition Award, Dong-A Music Competition First Prize, and multiple grants from the Arts Council Korea (ARKO) and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC), Choi has presented his works internationally through festivals such as Darmstädter Ferienkurse and New Music on the Point,  where his works were premiered by Adam Tendler, Stef Van Vynckt, and festival ensembles.

Choi’s artistic direction and curatorial work span numerous large-scale projects including 〈ACCANTO SINAWI〉, 〈NeoRitual YeongSungBinari〉, and 〈jit.〉, which merge composition, improvisation, and ritual performance within hybrid acoustic-electronic environments. He has also served as director or assistant director for projects supported by ARKO and SFAC, notably 〈sense-stimulus〉 and 〈Writing Gugak is…〉, integrating interdisciplinary collaboration and pedagogical engagement.

Currently completing dual degrees in Korean Music Composition and Western Composition at Seoul National University, where he studies with Sebastian Claren and Sngkn Kim.

Teacher

Composition Sebastian Claren, Kim Seung-geun, Park Byung-oh, Seo Soon-jeong, Lee Ye-jin, Jang Bo-yoon
Cheolhyeongeum Han Solip, Yoo Kyung-hwa

Education

Graduated from National Gugak Middle School (Gayageum major)
Graduated from National Gugak High School (Composition major)
Currently studying at Seoul National University, College of Music

Korean Traditional Composition major (Gugak Composition) / Double major in Composition (Classical Composition)

Recitals
TOWARD SINAWI (2023)
Tool & Form (2024)
ACCANTO SINAWI (2024)
Writing Gugak is… (2025)
jit.(2025)

Selections
2025 Arts Council Korea(ARKO) Young Artists Support Program (jit.)
2025 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC) Artists Support Program (Writing Gugak is…)
2025 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC) Artists Support Program (NeoRitual YeongSungbinari)
2024 Arts Council Korea(ARKO) Young Artists Support Program (ACCANTO SINAWI)
2023 Selected for Seoul Donhwamun Gugakdang Fringe Performance at the Korea Improvised Music Festival (Cheolhyeongeum)
2024 Winner of the National Gugak Center Busan National Gugak Center Contemporary Gugak Chamber Music Composition Contest
2022 Winner of the National Gugak Center “Youth, Cheong-eo-ram” Emerging Composer Competition
2022 Winner of the National Gugak Center Busan National Gugak Center Contemporary Gugak Chamber Music Composition Contest
2022 Selected artist for the 10th Bukchon Korean Music Festival

Awards
44th Korea National Composition Awards
42nd Korea National Composition Awards (Emerging Artist Award)
10th Dong-gyo Award
41st Onnara Gugak Competition (1st Prize, Composition Category)
40th Dong-A Gugak Competition (1st Prize, Composition Category & Jeon In-pyung Gugak Composition Award [Top Honor])
36th Dong-A Gugak Competition (2nd without 1st Prize, Composition Category & Jeon In-pyung Gugak Composition Award [Top Honor])
30th Gimhae National Gayageum Competition (2nd Prize, Composition Category)

Awards & Achievements (METALISM)
6th CheongChun Arts Festival (Gold Prize, Competition Category)
Selected for the National Gugak Center’s “Gugak in 人” Project (METALISM)
Selected for ㅊㅊ하다 Festival (Instrumental Music Category, “Beyond-Standing”) (METALISM)
Invited to Namsan Gugakdang Young Gugak “Dosirak” Concert
Invited to the 8th Heung Festival

Experience
Member of the Cheolhyeongeum Society
Representative of I:EUM (Composition Collective)
Member of METALISM
Member of GATA=

MasterClasses
Chaya Czernowin, Steven Kasuo Takasugi, Clara Iannotta, Lisa Streich, Simon-Steen Andersen, Katherine Balch, Dan Trueman, Ted Moore, Dai Fujikura, Nicole Mitchell, Michael Edgerton, Texu Kim