Sidelined by your supervisor? The Story of Kyung-Wha Chung

Your mentor is turning a blind eye on you, while he's bonding with everybody else?  I have been on both sides of the game.  Yes, I got on the right side of the line by being able to deliver (even if I don't, I won't admit it) but there were time when I fell on the wrong side, for reasons other than my competence.  Maybe you don't play the right sport, or say the right thing, or don't belong to the same social / ethnic circle as your supervisor.  Unless you go out of your way of being a total asshole, I think being sidelined sucks big time.  Lately, I came across an article about a very famous violinist, Kyung-Wha Chung, and I think her story would restore faith for those of you sideliners.  It's the classic underdog story, except it is not based on a true story; it is a true story.

Kyung-Wha Chung came from a musical family in South Korea.  Her two younger siblings, brother (Kyung-whun Chung) and sister (Myung-wha Chung), are also famous musicians.  Chung came to the US to study the violin at the Julliard in the 60s, without speaking a word of English.  Back in those days, the stereotype of the violin-playing Asian kid simply didn't even exist.  With the Korean War just ended, and the Vietnam War in full swing, you can imagine the sort of colorful names that people would give her.  But she worked very hard, and eventually proved herself worthy, at least in the eyes of her very demanding teacher, who also taught a number of very renowned violinists.

Her ambitions, however, did not end there.  In 1967, Chung wanted to participate in a very prestigious violin competition. While her teacher did not doubt her abilities, he did worry about her lack of proper relations.  You see, another competitor was also another student of his from Israel by the name of Pinchas Zukerman, who had the backing of the violinist Isaac Stern.  Stern was the Vito Coreleone of the musical world.  Over his long and successful career, he hand-picked many young musicians and brought them into prominence, such as Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman and Yo-yo Ma.  Chung, unfortunately, wasn't one of them.  Her teacher warned her that disappointment would be inevitable, but she still went ahead.  When her mother knew about this, she sold her house and used that money to buy a Strad for her (that must have been a pretty expensive house).  So off to the competition she went, literally with her family fortune on her hands.

Competition was one of most grueling experience of any budding professional musician.  You are judged among the best in your group, and often you are just number to the jury.  In this particular competition, the judges were known to be so demanding, they would rather withhold the prize if they felt none of the players were up to standard.  Both Chung (19) and Zukerman (18) were the only two remaining candidates, but the judges could not figure out who the winner should be.  Isaac stern demanded them to play again, but they still couldn't make a decision.  For the first and only time in the competition's history, they were declared co-winners.  Irrespective of the verdict, Chung already knew it was a job well done.  She took a nap during the two-hour wait for the jury's decision.  Though Zukerman's fame continued to soar with under Stern, Chung went her own way, and her success was no less prominent than her Israeli counterpart.  The rest was history.

Unbeknownst to Chung , she also pioneered a new trend among the Asian population.  Yes, it's the stereotype of the violin-playing Asian kid.  She was one of the first renowned Asian musicians, and her fame brought inspirations to others like her.  Back in the Cold War era, American musicians only had to worry about competing with the Soviet musicians.  Chung opened the flood gate and brought the entire Asian musical community into the game.  In fact, one of  Zukerman's first violin protegees was a Korean-American violinist by the name of Sarah Chang.  Zubin Mehta, a conductor often associated with Isaac Stern's circle, discovered the Japanese violinist Midori.  Both Chang and Midori are now very well established artists.

Now, why do I write all these?  Mugu knows what it means to be sidelined.  There were times I wish I had examples like Kyung-Wha Chung so that I knew there is always hope.  The important thing is, you know yourself, and you know your destination.  Be persistent and eventually your hard work will prevail even in the face of extreme adversaries. True, Chung's family was rich enough to support her through these hardships, but don't forget, that musicians are born, not made.  She has it in her, and she stops at nothing to get to where she wanted.  This is the example we should follow, regardless which side of the line you're on at the moment.