Hi Kyung Kim facts for kids

Hi Kyung Kim (Hangul: 김희경; born in 1954) is a talented composer from South Korea. She creates amazing music that often blends traditional Korean sounds with Western styles.

Her Life and Education

Hi Kyung Kim was born in South Korea. She loved music and studied it at Seoul National University. Later, she moved to the United States to continue her studies at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she earned her master's and PhD degrees in music. She learned from famous composers like Andrew Imbrie and Gérard Grisey.

After her studies, Hi Kyung Kim won a special award called the George C. Ladd Prix de Paris. This award allowed her to work and study in Paris, France, from 1988 to 1990. She spent time at important music research centers there.

When she returned, Kim became a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She also traveled back to Korea several times to learn more about traditional Korean music. This helped her bring unique sounds into her own compositions. She also studied the music of another famous composer, Elliott Carter, in Switzerland.

Awards and Recognition

Hi Kyung Kim has received many honors for her musical talent. These awards show how much her work is appreciated:

• Eisner prize in Creative Arts
• Two Di Lorenzo Composition Prizes
• U.C. Berkeley's George C. Ladd Prix de Paris
• Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters

Her Music and Works

Hi Kyung Kim is known for creating music that mixes different cultures. She often combines traditional Korean instruments and sounds with Western instruments like violins, cellos, and clarinets. Many of her pieces also include dance or multimedia elements, making them exciting experiences.

Here are some examples of her interesting works:

• Thousand Gates (2010/2011): This piece combines Korean and Western dance. It uses both Korean instruments (like percussion and the haegeum, a Korean fiddle) and Western instruments (like violin, cello, and clarinet). It also includes multimedia, which means it might have videos or other visual effects.
• Rituel III (2004/5): This work features Korean dance and percussion. It uses Korean instruments like the janggo (a drum) and daegeum (a bamboo flute), along with Western instruments.
• When He was Six Hundred Years Old (2010): This piece is for a haegeum (Korean fiddle), clarinet, and cello.
• Trio "Sori" (2002): "Sori" means "sound" in Korean. This trio features a Korean daegeum (bamboo flute) along with a clarinet and cello.
• Secret Wine: percussion solo (2008): A piece written for a single percussion player.
• A Story: gayageum solo (2006): This work is for the gayageum, a traditional Korean string instrument.

Her music has also been released on several CDs, so people all over the world can listen to her unique compositions. Some of these include:

• Crystal Drops: Music By Hi Kyung Kim (2008)
• Solos And Duos: Music By Andrew Imbrie And Hi Kyung Kim (2008)
• Kim: Unknown Lives (2000)