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Chaerin Kim, harp/piano
A multi-instrumentalist and one of the few people in the world who you can see performing as a soloist with two instruments on the same stage as an orchestra, internationally acclaimed harpist, pianist, composer, conductor, and professor Dr. Chaerin Kim is the winner of 13 national and international competitions in America, England, Russia, and Korea. Dr. Kim is invited to be the Voting Member of the Recording Academy who determines the winners and nominees for the Grammy Awards, and she has been a judge 113 times at 47 international competitions in the US, UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Italy, Germany, Austria, Serbia, Hungary, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Spain, Japan, and Australia.
She plays 10 instruments: piano, harp, violin, viola, cello, harpsichord, accordion, guitar, ukulele, and drums. She was the winner of the Special Prize of Best Performance of Russian Music at the International Harp Competition in Russia; winner of the Future Classic Women Award from the London Radio Station as a harpist and a composer; the CFA Award and Department Honor Award from Boston University; the Garrett Award, Foundation Award, and Julia Leney Harp Prize in London; a three-time winner of Soloist Competitions at Ewha University, Kaywon School for the Arts, and Boston University; the Bronze Medalist for Solo Piano at the Walgan Music Competition; and winner of the Grand Prize from the Korean Students Newspaper. Most recently, she was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2024. Associateship is awarded to alumni of the Academy who have distinguished themselves in the music profession and made a significant contribution in their particular field. She has been featured as a soloist on both harp and piano, some of her performances include: the Korean Premiere of Ginastera’s Harp Concerto with the Seongnam Philharmonic as a Guest Soloist of the International Music Festival broadcast live in Korea, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Debussy’s Danses for Harp, Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto with UMB Orchestra; Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Boston Chamber Orchestra; Ginastera’s Harp Concerto with BU Symphony Orchestra; Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro and Debussy’s Danses with Yonsei Sinfonietta; and Pierné’s Harp Concerto with EU Orchestra. Dr. Kim has performed in the Boston Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall - Isaac Stern Auditorium, London Duke's Hall, Sejong Center, Seouol Arts Center Concert Hall, Jordan Hall, Youngsan Art Hall, Salvi Music London, and many other major halls. Her harp performance has been used for the British movie Kaleidoscope, (main actor Toby Jones), which was the winner of Best Performance at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
As a composer, her composition, Rendezvous, has 100 versions, including versions for orchestra, harp, piano, and voice, with lyrics written by her and translated into 80 different languages. The orchestral version of Rendezvous had its World Premiere in Boston, and its South American Premiere by National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela. She conducted the European Premiere of own composition, Rendezvous, with the Festival Orchestra in Estonia. To date, she has released 146 songs (7 Albums and 91 Singles), and many of her music has aired on the radio stations in US and UK. Most recently, she was nominated for and awarded a Future Classic Women Award through the London Radio Station, where she has been interviewed twice. She has also been interviewed 7 times by WCPE Radio, twice with WGTE Public Media Radio in the US, WGCU Public Media in Florida, and Royal Holloway Radio in the UK.
Dr. Kim holds 4 degrees from 4 universities, and 16 certificates from 7 universities. Her musical studies began when she was six years old. She majored in piano at Yewon Music Middle School, while also beginning studies in cello and voice. After Yewon, she went on to attend Kaywon High School of Arts, where she continued to major in piano. In her last year, at the age of eighteen, she also started lessons on harp, and six months later won the Soloist Audition for Harp. She received her B.A. with Highest Honors from Ewha University in Seoul – then, while pursuing her master’s degree at Ewha, she was offered a scholarship for a Post Graduate Diploma in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she graduated with distinction. She received her M.M. from Yale University. She was invited to the Artist’s Diploma program at Yale and Graduate Diploma Program at the New England Conservatory – however, she decided to pursue her doctorate at Boston University, where she was offered a full scholarship. She was the “quickest recipient of a Doctorate” in BU Music School’s history, completing it in three and a half years with Summa cum laude.
Dr. Kim was a full-time music faculty member at Eastern Nazarene College, where she taught piano, harp, music theory, and music history classes. She was also the former Head of the Harp Department at Adagio Music Academy, Harp Department Chair at South Shore Conservatory, an artistic director of the USA International Music Competition, and piano faculty at Shepherd’s Heart School of Music in Florida. In 2009, she was an Artist Collaborator with project STEP – a program created by Boston Symphony Orchestra to provide opportunities to underrepresented students in the classical music profession. During her time as a graduate student, she was a Teaching Assistant for undergraduate harp students at Boston University and Yale University. Currently, she is an orchestra conductor in residence in Estonia, an artist and masterclass leader with the TTF Entertainment Company in Korea and China, and music faculty for piano and harp at University of Massachusetts Boston, and Schlossakademie in Germany. She is also an instructor for both instruments through the Office of Arts at Harvard University.
Dr. Kim's upcoming projects in 2025 include conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela in a world premiere concert while performing as a soloist, playing 2 instruments. In Feb, she is invited to the 67th Grammy Awards Ceremony as a voting member. In March, she is invited to be a judge and lecturer of the Hampton Road Harp Festival and Competition. During Summer, she is invited to be a conductor of the Tallin Philharmonic -the festival orchestra at the International Music Festival in Estonia, in addition to holding a piano and harp faculty position. Her orchestra composition Rendezvous Harp Version is invited to have its World Premiere this July in Estonia, and she will be in Italy this summer for the InterHarmony Festival as a harp and piano faculty. Also, she is composing a harp ensemble music to be premiered in Texas. Her music is plan to be aired in WLRH Huntsville Public Radio, and Texas Public Radio where she is also invited to have an interview at a live show "Classical Connections".
For more information: http://www.chaerinkim.com