Kim ’17 Performs Piano Alongside Boston Orchestra

Upper Hojoon Kim performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra, a subset of the Boston Symphony, last weekend. As a piano soloist, Kim played “Totentanz” by Franz Liszt in the “Dancing with a Twist” concert on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

Kim began playing piano at the age of four and since then has received several honors and awards, including being named a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist, Second Prize in the International Los Angeles Liszt Competition, finalist of the Mondavi Arts Young Artists’ Competition and semifinalist in the Seattle International Piano Competition. He also won first place at the Boston Symphony Youth Concerto last spring, which gave him the opportunity to play with the Boston Pops.

Currently, Kim studies piano at the New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School with pianist Wha Kyung Byun as a recipient of the Max Reger Foundation Young Artist Award, and previously he studied at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles as a merit scholarship recipient.

He dedicates every Saturday to traveling to Boston and practicing piano. “Going down to the conservatory hasn’t been the easiest thing, but I think such a commitment makes the euphoria after concerts like that more psychedelic,” Kim explained.

“Hojoon is definitely a very skilled musician, and I can see him going far in that field if that is what he would like to do.”

The “Dancing with a Twist” concert featured several dancers from the television shows “Dancing With the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” in addition to “American Idol” vocalists. Keith Lockhart conducted the orchestra and Anna Trebunskaya and Dmitry Chaplin worked with the dancers. Performances varied with songs such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Gravity,” “Walkin’ In Memphis,” “The Prayer” and “Zoot Suit Riot.”

“Totentanz,” a German term that means “dance of the dead,” is a 15-minute piece. Kim practiced the song on his own in preparation for the performance and rehearsed with the orchestra for the first time on Friday. According to pianist and upper Roger Shen, Kim learned “Totentanz” in under an hour. He recalled a time during their prep year when Kim learned and performed Schumann’s “Carnaval,” a 30-minute piece, within a month. Shen admired Kim’s ability to learn music quickly. 

“He has really smooth phrasings and gets very emotionally engaged in the music when he performs,” Shen said.

While lower and classical cellist Amanda Sherwood could not attend the performances, she discussed Kim as a talented pianist. “I really wanted to go to [Kim’s] performance because it is a huge honor to play with the Boston Pops, and I know that it must’ve been an amazing performance,” she said. “If the Boston Pops lets you play with them then that means you are a really good musician.”

Kim reflected upon two performances in the Boston Symphony Hall.

“It was a wonderful experience, performing in a beautiful hall with a beautiful orchestra to a beautiful crowd,” Kim said. “It was heavenly.”

Kim is also taking the Music 500 (MUS500) course instructed by Rohan Smith. The course, which meets twice a week, culminates in a public recital. During each class students have the opportunity to perform for each other and receive feedback on their work.

Senior Julie Chung described Kim as “a very skilled pianist” with “a mastery of the technical aspects of the instrument.” She went on to say that his confidence makes him stand out as a performer. According to Chung, one of the challenges for the course is that the students must keep practicing all term. “Performing in a recital isn’t like a paper where you can procrastinate and write it in one night,” Chung said. “You have to really care about your music and dedicate yourself to it. MUS500 also pushes you to think beyond just playing your pieces to really performing them and communicating a message to the audience.”

Senior Henry LaFond praised Kim for his technical skills and willingness to help. “Hojoon is definitely a very skilled musician, and I can see him going far in that field if that is what he would like to do,” LaFond said. “It seems that whatever I play, he has already played it before and knows its ins and outs. For this reason, he is a pleasure to have in class.”

Kim’s MUS500 recital will take place on Sunday, May 29, at 7 p.m. in Phillips Church. The tentative repertoire includes “Soiree de Vienne” by Alfred Grunfeld, “Reminiscences de Norma” by Franz Liszt, and a selection of Haydn.

Shen plans on attending the concert to celebrate success in the high-level music course. “He’s a close friend and one of the best pianists I know—and I know a lot of really amazing pianists,” he said.

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