Kay Kyung Eun Kim

Pianist Kay Kyung Eun Kim, prize-winner of the 6th Mozart International Piano Competition, has been praised as a “chic, stylish and modern pianist” by the International Piano Magazine, while The Piano Magazine described her as a “warm and sensitive, dynamic and fearless pianist.”

At the age of six, Kay and her family moved to London. Two years after moving, Kay was one of only five students selected by the Yehudi Menuhin School to study with Nicolai Demidenko. She continued her studies at The Purcell School under the tutelage of Irina Zaritskaya. During her time living in London, Kay spent time with Vlado Perlemuter each summer, who was the last living pupil of Ravel at the time. It was this relationship that enamored her with Ravel’s works, eventually leading Kay to begin a six-year project entitled “Ravel Complete Piano Works” in 2016. In this series, Kay performed all Ravel’s solo and duo piano works as well as Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major. The project culminated with Kay’s CD, “Ravel”, released with Sony Classical in June 2021. On this CD, Kay performs her favorite works by Ravel: Jeux d’eau, Miroirs, and Gaspard de la nuit.

At 16, Kay was one of the youngest applicants admitted to The Juilliard School, where, as a student of both Jerome Lowenthal and Seymour Lipkin, she earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. In 2004, Kay pursued both her Professional Studies and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees under Solomon Mikowsky at The Manhattan School of Music. Kay’s DMA dissertation was on Unsuk Chin’s Piano Concerto.

Kay made her debut at age 6 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has performed with a multitude of distinguished orchestras, including the Seoul National Symphony and the Youth Orchestra, the State Academic Symphony and the St. Petersburg Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquestra do Norte, the Kammer Philharmonie Dacapo Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfonica de la Region de Murcia, and the Topeka Symphony and the Albany Symphony Orchestra in the US.

Recital venues at which Kay has performed include the South Bank Centre and Buckingham Palace, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Seoul Arts Center, and Kumho Hall as a part of their “Rising Stars” series. In 1997, Kay gave a charity concert in London to raise support for young victims of the Chernobyl disaster. Her performance was broadcast on Classical FM radio.

Since returning to Seoul in 2010, Kay has dedicated her time to both teaching at the Catholic University of Korea as well as continuing her passion for contemporary works through her performances. Kay has given many Korean premieres of contemporary works. Her recitals included “Afternoon in Paris”, “Sonata Journey”, “Musical Portraits”, and “Fantasy and Reality” at the Seoul Arts Center, which showcased innovative piano techniques.