Meet Hyoung Kim | Classical Pianist, Teacher, Festival Manager and Registrar

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hyoung Kim and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hyoung, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
This is the one of my main issues that I am struggling with now. Most classical musicians after their education start with gigs and part time jobs nowadays because it’s difficult and competitive to get a full time opportunity in the market. It is a better strategy to be flexible in order to be able to work in the area we could explore. I got my doctorate of musical arts, emphasis on piano performance and literature from Eastman School of Music. But, I am a church musician, choir conductor, music festival manager and registrar on top of being a concert pianist and teacher. Yes, it sounds a little hectic. Before and after the pandemic, I have been working 7 days a week because it is hard to say “no” to the new and better positions and also hard to say “goodbye” to my old jobs. Working too much brought me physical and mental exhaustion that blocked my creativity. I believe it is time for me to think about what brings me happiness again. Yes, life is a constant exploration of what I want and what I need. But it is really difficult for me to say no to my audience who wants to listen to my performance and to my students who want to learn from me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Usually, when we assume any pianist’s life, we think of prodigy. They must start playing piano from a very young age and keep it for their entire life. However, in my case, it is a different story. I started playing piano at the age of 5 just like other pianists. However, I completely stopped when I was 10. It took me about 12 years to come back to piano. Stop means I did not play piano at all for 12 years. While I was away from piano, I enjoyed learning other musical instruments and I thought I finally found the musical instrument of my life, an electric guitar. I spent all of my time with an electric guitar and played in a heavy metal/rock band for 5 years from my high school year. When I was 20, I had to go to the Korean Army to serve my duty as a trumpet player and electric guitarist. During that time, I realized that classical music is very profound in depth and color with countless repertoires. On top of that, I wanted to perform by myself. I was too stubborn about negotiating musical ideas with other performers at that time. Finally, I made my decision to start playing piano at the age of 22. Everyone I knew said it is impossible to start at 22 and suggested doing it as my hobby. But when people doubted me, it gave me more motivation to accomplish my goal. I set my goal that if I get into a conservatory in Seoul in South Korea after practicing for 6 month, there is a hope for me to pursue. I practiced more than 10 hours everyday for 6 month. I still remember two pieces I played: Beethoven Piano Sonata ‘Appassionata’ and Chopin Etude Op.10 No.1. They are complicated and sophisticated masterpieces. I was so brave to pick them as my audition pieces. Luckily, I got in and my piano journey has started. At that time, I had no piano repertoire except for my two audition pieces with terrible basic piano technique. I spent most of my time with a piano through my 20’s and 30’s through Eastman School of Music (BM, DMA) and University of Southern California (MM). So my musical background includes heavy metal/rock band, brass band music, and classic music.
It was not easy to go through but I always have the core to support myself. When I came back to playing piano at 22, I still vividly remember how I was. It was like the first love of my life. Every time I listened to the same song over and over, I was happy and never got tired. I’m always excited that I discovered something new with such joy while rediscovering the great desire to be a better musician. My first love is classical music; it’s my energy source that makes me keep going in my life in music.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is such a huge city with colorful diversity and variety. It is truly big in size with many communities around LA. There is so much to enjoy from many different cultures from all over the world and their authentic food is a plus! Of course, it is interesting to go around famous sightseeing places such as Hollywood and Santa Monica pier. However, it would truly be a taste of a world tour if you visit different towns near LA and enjoy their culture and food. For example, Koreatown in LA has the 2nd biggest Korean population throughout the world. We could easily experience their own culture such as art and music in a Korean cultural center, Korean style architectural aesthetics, and if you are lucky, you may experience Korean festivals.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family; they are everything to me. They are just always there with endless love and support. Indeed, they are very active and noisy cheerleaders!

The next group of people that I always think of are my teachers. I am endlessly grateful that I met the best teachers in my life. How they talk, think, and respond is heavily influenced on my daily life. My teachers are not just someone who taught me knowledge in music. Their life itself is the model of what I wish mine to be. They inspire how my life path should be as a pianist who appreciates the musical legacy from our ancestors and also someone with the duty to hand it over to the next generation.
The teacher I spent the most time with was Dr. Nelita True at Eastman. She showed me how to be a true educator throughout her life. She never knew any luxury in her life, but always supported and preserved the legacy of classical music as she found the Piano Scholarship Fund to support. Dr. Stewart Gordon at USC showed me how important being a comprehensive musician is. His life long research and study is still present in multiple areas of my life. As much as his intelligence, his endless support, patience and love for his students is something that I will never forget and attempt to pass it to the students studying with me. Lastly, Dr. Andrew Park has been my teacher since 2006. And currently, he is my colleague, friend and life coach. From how to play piano to how to set my goal, he is always there for me.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hyoungwuk.kim

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hyoung-kim-s-piano-studio-los-angeles

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrk64lOtKw9AN4dtNgwgMoQ

Other: http://montecitomusicfestival.com/teachers/hyoung-wuk-kim/