The WKU music department welcomed critically acclaimed pianist Jooyoung Kim to perform for students and faculty Monday.
Fanfare Magazine describes Kim as “richness of talent,” and music reviewing website Audiophile Audition said, “Kim shines with brilliance and impressive nuance.”
Kim has appeared as a soloist with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Yonsei Sinfonietta, Yale University Symphony Orchestra and many others. She currently works as assistant professor of piano at Campbellsville University.
Along with the recital, Kim hosted a masterclass for piano students earlier that day.
The recital began with “Impromptu No.3 in Gb Major,” by Austrian composer Franz Schubert. Kim said the pieces chosen for the evening’s recital were a mixture of songs by more classical male composers and more contemporary female ones.
She introduced the next set, “Trois morceaux pour piano,” which included the movements, “D’un vieux Jardin,” “D’un jardin clair” and “Cortège,” by French composer Lili Boulanger, who was the first female composer to win the Grand Prix de Rome composition prize.
Kim then introduced the following piece, “Widmung,” by Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer.
The next piece Kim presented was, “Barcarola Latinoamericana,” by contemporary composer Gabriela Lena Frank. She said Frank’s diverse identity can be felt through the music that she writes.
“She really loves to explore how music can express and reimagine cultural stories,” Kim said. “This piece is completely different in its composure, it’s reimagined with very dramatic, passionate and rhythmically very alive character.”
Afterwards, Kim introduced the set, “American City: Portrait of New York,” by American composer Judith Lang Zaimont. Within the set are six movements titled, “Rush Hour,” “Harbor Fog,” “Coffee House,” “Scrapers” and “Garment Factory.”
“Her (Zaimont’s) music is characterized by expressive dynamism, rhythmic vitality,” Kim said.
She said when she discovered the set she was surprised to learn that Zaimont was only 12 years old when she wrote this piece.
The sets were composed so that the audience could hear the features of their respective titles, several “clashes” to simulate cars honking in the movement, “Rush Hour” and a jazz tone in, “Coffee House.”
The final set Kim performed were three selections from, “Grandes études de Paganini,” which were originally composed for violin solos by Niccoló Paganini and then recomposed for piano by Franz Liszt.
Kim said the piece is characterized by its many staccatos and octave jumps, specific to violin performance. The three selections she performed were, “No. 1 in G minor,” “No.2 in Eb major” and “No.3 in G# minor, ‘La Campanella’.”
“My favorite piece was the last one,” sophomore flute student Olivia Booher said. “It was really cool to hear a violin piece change to be for piano, and it was even more impressive than it is on violin.”
When Kim completed her final song, the recital hall erupted into a standing ovation for the pianist.
“I really liked her intensity and musicality,” said sophomore flute major Tessa Martin, “It was very surreal to see a musician of that caliber perform here, like in front of like my own eyes.”
