International Women's Day: Shedding Light on Women Composers
In the 21st century, classical music has the potential to be vivid, intellectual, and deeply expressive of heartfelt emotions, resonating with audiences who cherish its freshness and yearn to re-experience premiered pieces. However, I’ve seen the classical music scene suffer due to political budget cuts, and it’s inspiring to witness a surge of musical energy powered by women now more than ever.
In honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, I would like to share with you a major project that I have dedicated myself to over the last few years: a major concert tour highlighting women composers, and the album recorded as part of that tour and just released this week, called Saiga Antelope.
Violin soloist, composer and professor Viktoria Elisabeth Kaunzner. Photo by Ilya Shirshov Kopie.
First, a little bit about myself: I took my first steps into the music world as a child prodigy, debuting at the age of 12 with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra Plzen. With support from legends like Daniel Barenboim, Yehudi Menuhin, and Ivry Gitlis, I honed my craft at institutions such as "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin and CNSMD in Paris, studying with Zakhar Bron in Cologne and composition with Krzysztof Meyer.
At 28, I became the youngest female professor of violin and chamber music at Franz Liszt Music University in Weimar, at its branch in South Korea at Kangnam University. I developed a deep love for the rich Korean culture, which I integrate into my compositions by combining traditional Korean musical instruments (Gugak) with Western instruments, creating unheard and beautifully complex soundscapes.
After seven years in Seoul, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to Berlin and founded the non-profit organization UKOREVV – Universal Korean Organic Ensemble – Viktoria & Virtuosi Berlin. My goal is to provide long-term musical support for the Virtuosi, facilitating international networking, and nurturing their individual career paths.
I’m proud to be the first German female violin soloist to have recorded all Ysaÿe solo sonatas, using the Ex-Midori/ David Guarneri del Gesù. Critics have noted, "a composer as well as a violinist, and like many composers who are also performers, she has looked deeper into the music she is playing than others do" (American Record Guide). All CDs of my work as a Stradivari Artist have been nominated for the prestigious Opus Classic Award.
As for my recent project: this week I proudly present an album, titled Saiga Antelope, featuring compositions by women composers - including my own compositions. It also documents our historic concert tour: In 2022, I felt incredibly honored to receive $250,000 in funding for this concert tour – a $150,000 scholarship from the German Music Council, as well as additional support from Korean governmental and private entities, recognizing my musical contributions. This funding allowed me to assemble UKOREVV, featuring 30 young, talented virtuosos from 15 nations. We toured prestigious German concert halls, including the Munich Herkulessaal, the Cultural Palace in Dresden, and Laeiszhalle in Hamburg. A highlight of the tour was our live performance at Philharmonie Berlin, where our marathon of women composers’ violin concertos was recorded.
I believe "Saiga Antelope" is the world’s first album featuring two violin concertos by female composers: Romanian composer Violeta Dinescu’s kaleidoscopic "Roman Fleuve," dedicated to me, and a fiery tango violin concerto by the late Claudia Montero from Argentina. To complete this album, I also included commissioned works like the gorgeous piece "Times of Rain & Sun" from Uzbek-Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin, as well as my own compositions: "Saiga Antelope," "Silk Road," "Jasmine Rice," and "Lucid Dreams." Here is a video documentary about this recording:
The concert tour was called "EurAsian Flow," showcasing performances by women composers. Here is a video of highlights from the tour: "Best of EurAsian Flow":
I wish to shed more light on the important works of women composers and to support them - and I am pretty sure there are way more works to be discovered!
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March 9, 2025 at 08:30 PM · Congratulations on all of those important accomplishments, Viktoria. In my area there is a group called the "Alma Ensemble" that champions works by female composers (and performances given by women), and one of the ensemble members recently performed a full solo piano recital containing entirely works written by women.