Biography

Jin Hi Kim with komungo at pacific ocean, 1988

Jin Hi Kim is internationally acclaimed as both an innovative komungo (Korean fourth century fretted board zither) virtuoso and for her cross-cultural compositions. Kim has introduced the Korean indigenous komungo for the first time into Western contemporary music scene with her wide array of pioneering compositions for chamber ensemble, orchestra, avant-garde jazz improvisations and multicultural ensembles. She has co-designed the world's only electric komungo.

Kim’s works have been presented on the main stages of significant cultural venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Festival of Asian Art (Hong Kong), Walker Art Center, Royal Festival Hall (London), Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), the Warsaw Autumn Festival (Poland), Festival Nieuwe Muziek (Holland), Musique Action Festival (France), the Asian Pacific Festival (New Zealand), Nazuca Music Festival (Peru), Alternativa Contemporary Music Festival (Moscow), Art Summit Festival (Indonesia), Moers New Jazz Festival (Germany), and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (Canada) among many others.

Kim's new direction of her solo recital,  Digital Buddha is a multimedia collaboration with komungo/electric komungo, video mandala and video mix that is grounded in Buddhist meditation culture but utilizes contemporary art technology. Kim's komungo solos represent an evolution of the instrument into the twenty-first century, a development she has pursued over twenty-five years. Her new komungo music is imbued with meditative and vivid energy that makes it mesmerizing. She has performed extensively throughout the USA, Europe, Canada, South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. Kim has created the live interactive pieces for electric komungo and MIDI computer system. Using MAX/MSP, the komungo sound is processed through a personal computer program in live that is triggered by MIDI foot pedal. Staying true to the nature of the instrument, her solo interweaves from old timeless mind to space-age blips.

Peter Watrous of The New York Times wrote, "virtuoso, Jin Hi Kim promises thoughtful, shimmering East-West amalgams in combinations that are both new and unlikely to be repeated."

Kim is Composer-In-Residence with New Haven Symphony Orchestra for 2009-2011 seasons for Meet The Composer Music Alive. Kim’s commissioned piece, NORI III for Percussion Quartet and Electric Komungo was premiered with NHSO Percussion Quartet at Woolsey Hall in October 2009. In April 2010, Kim returns as a soloist for her 2007 commission by the NHSO, Monk Dance for Korean barrel drums and orchestra. Kim’s new commissioned piece, Tribal Tale for komungo, bass, flute and percussion will be premiered in 2011. In addition NHSO Composer in Residence Jin Hi Kim will be embarking on a new educational project with New Haven area youth. Kim will be teaching music meditation and Korean drumming.

Kim's autobiography Komungo Tango was published in South Korea. Kim has composed the sound track for Koryo Saram, a documentary film about Korean refugees from Russia to Kazakhstan directed by David Chung at University of Michigan. An interview about Kim's electric komungo was featured on Arirang TV -Global Broadcasting <Heart To Heart> and on MBC-TV <Exclamation Mark!> in conjunction with Korean Traditional Craft Exhibition 2007 at United Nation. Kim's electric komungo solo performance was broadcast by YTN National TV for the Korean Artists Overseas Festival 2006. In 2003 Kim was featured in the MBC-TV broadcast of the film <100 Years of Sanjo>. In 2001 Korean National Broadcasting System (KBS-TV) produced an hour documentary film <Hanminjok Report> on Kim's musical contributions.

Kim with the Kronos Quartet for the premier of her Nong Rock, 1992

Over twenty years Kim has developed a series of compositions, Living Tones --The timbral persona of each tone generated is treated with an abiding respect, as its philosophical mandate from Buddhism, a reverence for the 'life' of a tone, the color and nuance granted each articulation from Korean Shamanism. In 1985 she created the term "living tones" to describe this concept as her compositional metaphor. Kim has appeared as a soloist for the Living Tones compositions with American Composers Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony (Korea), Kronos Quartet, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Xenakis Ensemble (Holland), Kairos String Quartett (Berlin) and others.

Josef Woodard of The Los Angeles Times wrote, "This [Living Tones] is new music/world music at its finest, beyond political correctness into the realm of the sublime, where words and cultural postures fall away."

Nong Rock for string quartet and komungo was commissioned by the Kronos and premiered at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in 1992. Voices of Sigimse was premiered by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at the Lincoln Center Summer Festival 1996 with Kim as soloist and Tan Dun conducting. She was featured composer for the Festival Nieuwe Muziek 1998 (The Netherlands), and Agate Slice was commissioned for the festival. Kim was awarded the 2000-2001 American Composers Orchestra Composer Fellowship, and her commissioned Eternal Rock for Orchestra and komungo was premiered at Carnegie Hall.

Kim with American Composers Orchestra for the premier of her Eternal Rock, 2001

Kim was featured on BBC The World/Global Hit radio program for her One Sky (2005) for electric komungo and string chamber orchestra, which was commissioned by Great Mountains Music Festival and broadcast on KBS-TV in S. Korea. Kim's Eternal Rock II (2006) for Korean barrel drums and orchestra was commissioned by Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Kim is the soloist for her Monk Dance (2007) for Korean barrel drums and orchestra, co-commissioned by New Haven Symphony and Stanford Symphony Orchestra. Kim performs Monk dance with Key West Symphony Orchestra in 2010.

Jin Hi Kim plays Korean barrel drums for her Monk Dance with Stanford Symphony Orchestra 2007.

Kim created cross cultural works lead to a new direction incorporating a profound Asian cultural heritage with a balance of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Dong Dong Touching The Moons, a multi-media lunar ritual, won the Wolff Ebermann Prize for at International Theater Institute Conference in Munich, Germany. The work interfaced electric komungo, Indian tabla, Korean kagok singer, Indian kathak dancer with a computer-controlled MIDI systems, sensors and digital animation.

Joseph McLellan of The Washington Post wrote, "Her unique vision blends science fiction images, state-of-the-art technology, ancient mythology and timeless music and dance traditions. No other artist is doing work quite like this, and she does it with superb style. Kim performs brilliantly and evocatively on an amplified komungo."

Kim's Dragon Bond Rite, 1997

Kim's widely acclaimed cross-cultural mask dance drama, Dragon Bond Rite, featured musicians and dancers from India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Tuva and the U.S., and was commissioned by the Japan Society through funds from Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust and the Rockefeller Foundation Multi Arts Production Fund, and presented at the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) and The Festival of Asian Art in Hong Kong.

Deborah Jowitt of The Village Voice wrote, "It's wonderful to see these diverse Asian styles converse. All the movements are grounded, yet how differently shaped and accented, how diverse the way feet strike the floor. In Kim’s score, the styles of the master musicians actually merge.”

Kim studied and practiced Korean traditional music with masters from National School for Korean Traditional Music, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture. She earned a BA degree in Korean traditional music at Seoul National University before coming to the United States. Subsequently, she studied with composer John Adams, Lou Harrison, Terry Riley and David Rosenboom, and received an MFA in electronic music/composition at Mills College, CA.

A definitive CD collection of Jin Hi Kim's solo komungo, chamber music and improvisations is available from iTunes and jhksource@aol.com.