A native of South Korea, Seung-Won Oh is an acclaimed composer who was described as “a name to remember” (2003) by the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, in reference to her first professional commission for a percussion sextet, DaDeRimGill. Her music, which transcends traditional boundaries, has been performed across Europe, North America, and Asia. Her most recent orchestral work, Spiri III: Sacred Ritual, was commissioned and performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä, and was successfully toured to Vienna and Hamburg.

Oh's work often juxtaposes soloists or instrumental groups against a larger ensemble, creating space for dramatic development. A recurring theme in her music is the tension between individual will and collective demands. In recent years, her growing interest in theater, space, movement, and audience interaction has led to projects requiring close collaboration with performers. Her recent large-scale work, the requiem YeonDo (2020) [연도: purgatory prayer], exemplifies the ongoing trajectory of these artistic interests.

Even in her recent small ensemble works, the spatial and acoustic relationship between performer(s) and audience within a specific venue has become a defining element. These compositions often require carefully considered stage setups.

Oh has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation at the Bellagio Center, the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship through the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. She is celebrated both in her home country and internationally. At the 3rd Seoul International Competition for Composers, she was awarded both First Prize and the Audience Prize. In 2007, she received Third Prize at the Lutosławski Award in Poland, and in 2010 she won the Toonzetters Award for the best Dutch contemporary composition of the year.

In 2023, she received the Kees van Baarenprijs for YeonDo, awarded for a significant orchestral or music-theatrical work.