{"id":1810,"date":"2020-10-13T14:26:49","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T18:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chaerinkim.com\/blog\/?page_id=1810"},"modified":"2026-05-11T09:21:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:21:41","slug":"biography-3-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.chaerinkim.com\/blog\/?page_id=1810","title":{"rendered":"Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

View in: English<\/a> | Espa\u00f1ol<\/a> | Fran\u00e7ais<\/a> | Italiano<\/a> | polszczyzna<\/a> | \u010de\u0161tina<\/a> | sloven\u010dina<\/a>| \u0420\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439 \u044f\u0437\u044b\u043a<\/a> | \u0939\u093f\u0928\u094d\u0926\u0940<\/a> | \u0a2a\u0a70\u0a1c\u0a3e\u0a2c\u0a40<\/a> | \u092e\u0930\u093e\u0920\u0940<\/a> | \u666e\u901a\u8bdd<\/a> | \ud55c\uad6d\uc5b4<\/a> | Tamazi\u0263t <\/a>| Taqbaylit<\/a> | Krey\u00f2l ayisyen <\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kim made music history by becoming the first soloist to perform with an orchestra on both the harp and piano during the same concert, while also premiering her own original composition. She has set another world record by performing the European premiere of Rendezvous with Harp and Orchestra<\/em> in Estonia. This was the first time that a harp soloist played her own composition, with an orchestra, while simultaneously conducting the orchestra. A multi-instrumentalist and one of the few artists in the world who perform as a soloist on two instruments with an orchestra in the same concert, internationally acclaimed harpist, pianist, composer, conductor, and professor Dr. Chaerin Kim is the winner of 14 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 served as a judge 122 times at 52 international competitions in the U.S. (Hollywood, New York, Boston, Califonia, LA, Atlanta, Virginia, Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee), UK, Canada, Australia, Italy (Rome, Sicily), Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Greece, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, India, Japan, Romania, Indonesia, Hungary, Spain, and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She plays 10 instruments: piano, harp (concert grand and double-crossing 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She has been featured as a soloist on both harp and piano, some of her performances include: <\/em>the Korean Premiere of <\/em>Ginastera\u2019s Harp Concerto with the Seongnam Philharmonic as a Guest Soloist of the International Music Festival broadcast live in Korea, Rachmaninoff\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 2, <\/em>Debussy\u2019s Danses <\/em>for Harp, <\/em>Mozart\u2019s <\/em>Flute and Harp Concerto <\/em>with UMB Orchestra; Rachmaninoff\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Boston Chamber Orchestra; Ginastera\u2019s Harp Concerto with BU Symphony Orchestra; Ravel\u2019s Introduction and Allegro <\/em>and Debussy\u2019s Danses<\/em> with Yonsei Sinfonietta; and Piern\u00e9\u2019s 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 was featured in the British film Kaleidoscope<\/em> (starring Toby Jones), which won Best Performance at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a composer, her composition, Rendezvous, <\/em>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<\/em> had its World premiere in Boston, and its South American premiere by National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela. She conducted the European premiere of her own composition, Rendezvous<\/em>, with the Festival Orchestra in Estonia. To date, she has released 148 songs (7 Albums and 93 Singles), two pieces via Albany Records, and 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 <\/em>through the London Radio Station. She has also been interviewed 16 times; by UMass Boston News Department, WUMB-FM 91.9 FM in Boston, WCPE Radio in North Carolina, three times with WGTE Public Media Radio in Ohio, Alba Ciudad 96.3 FM in Caracas, twice with London Radio Station, WGCU Public Media in Florida, and Royal Holloway Radio in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kim holds three degrees, one diploma, and sixteen certificates from leading universities worldwide. 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 in Performance from Ewha University in Seoul \u2013 then, while pursuing her master\u2019s 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.<\/em> She received her M.M. from Yale University.<\/em> She was invited to the Artist\u2019s Diploma program at Yale and Graduate Diploma Program at the New England Conservatory \u2013 however, she decided to pursue her doctorate at Boston University, where she was offered a full scholarship. She achieved the fastest completion of the doctorate in the history of the BU School of Music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s Heart School of Music in Florida. In 2009, she was an Artist Collaborator with project STEP \u2013 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, harp, group keyboard, and theory at University of Massachusetts Boston. She is also an instructor for both instruments through the Office of Arts at Harvard University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Kim’s projects in 2025 include world record concert with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Venezuela in a World Premiere concert while performing as a soloist, playing 2 instruments, and she gave harp and piano masterclasses at Mozarteum Caracas. In Feb, she was invited to the 67th Grammy Awards Ceremony as a voting member. In March, she was invited to be a judge and lecturer of the Hampton Road Harp Festival and Competition.  In July, she set another world record by conducting the Tallinn Philharmonic while simultaneously performing as solo harpist, giving the European premiere of her concerto Rendezvous<\/em> with Harp and Orchestra <\/em>in Estonia. She was also invited to serve on the harp and piano faculty at a festival in Estonia. In August, she conducted masterclasses at the Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology in Hyderabad, the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai\u2014where she also presented the Asian premiere of her own composition Rendezvous with Harp and Orchestra<\/em>\u2014as well as at the Furtados School of Music in Mumbai, the Delhi School of Music, and the Neemrana Music Foundation in Delhi. In November and December, she has been invited to give masterclasses and lectures at ten colleges around the world. This October 4th, she will make American history with the U.S. premiere of a soloist performing two concertos on two different instruments\u2014harp and piano\u2014with orchestra on the same stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JUDGING<\/h4>\n\n\n\n