About Anna Korsun

Biography and Background

Anna Korsun was born in 1986 in Donetsk, Ukraine (Donbas region), an area marked by industrial reshaping and later invasion.[3][9][11] She graduated from the PI Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music in Kiev and Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.[9] Now based in Germany, she works as a composer, sound artist, and performer.[11] Her music is described as "one of the most shattering creative acts of the war," channeling landscapes reshaped by industry and conflict into raw force and emotional clarity.[3]

Musical Style and Aesthetic

Korsun's music "escapes analysis and cannot be pigeonholed," functioning as an unpredictable adventure.[12] It evokes "a terrifying chorus of ghostly aliens" with immersive, visceral power.[12] Critics liken her works to Ukrainian slagheaps amid Russian iron and steel, highlighting stark, haunting industrial imagery.[13] Her pieces demand listeners simply "undergo" them.[12]

Key Works and Performances

• Spettri (13:36): Performed by Club de Chelo de Lituania at Festival de Otoño de Vilna, 2025.[1]
• Undersurface for ensemble (2012): LENensemble Vilnius, conduction by Vykintas Baltakas.[2]
• Landscapes for 5 voices from UnderSurFace: Featured in avantgarde compilation by Institute For Alien Research.[5]
• Isostasie for piano quintet (2017): Highlighted in Listening to Ladies series.[7]
• Works performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits (2023), alongside Glière and Scriabin.[8][11]

Other commissions include those from Ensemble Musikfabrik via Kunststiftung NRW.[6]

Recognition and Interviews

Featured in Gaudeamus Music Week 2014, interviewed by Vanessa Lann.[4] Profiled as a "new voice" in contemporary music.[9] BSO highlights "5 things" about her: Donetsk origins, global performances, experimental edge.[11] Reviewed extensively for emotional depth amid Ukraine's conflicts.[13][14]

Ukrainian Context and War Influence

Donbas roots infuse her music with war's pain; pieces described as "a cry of pain from every player" reflecting musicians' new realities.[14] Her work stands as a creative response to invasion.[3]