About Helena Hyesoo Kim

Helena Hyesoo Kim, a Korean-Canadian pianist, has been praised for her “keys that dance around the frisky saw prowess in animated ways” (Take Effect). Her performances have taken her to major venues across the Netherlands, France, Russia, Spain, Korea, Canada, and the United States, including Carnegie Hall in New York and Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. She has appeared as a soloist with the Chopin Poland Orchestra and has received numerous prizes in national and international competitions, including first prize at the Han Kuk Ilbo and the Russian Music Festival.

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Kim has collaborated with a variety of musicians, including soprano Sumi Jo, trumpet player Jens Lindemann, pianist Curtis Pavey (in piano duo) and saxophonist Todd Gaffke, with whom she released the CD Locally Sourced under the Neuma Recording label, and currently actively collaborating with various musicians including Michael Klyce as a piano and violin duo. 

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An advocate for the works of underrepresented composers, Kim has a particular focus on female composers, including Caroline KyungA Ahn, Alexina Louie, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Galina Ustvolskaya. Her doctoral research explored unifying elements in the piano sonatas of Galina Ustvolskaya, works that were marginalized due to repression by the Soviet government.

 

Kim received her early musical training at Yewon Art School and the Saint-Petersburg Pre-Conservatory. She continued her studies at the University of British Columbia and McGill University with Kyoko Hashimoto. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati under Ran Dank.  Kim currently teaches at the University of Missouri, serves as a Vice President of Board at Odyssey Chamber Music Series.