UK Students' Wins at International Competitions Place Them on Carnegie Hall Stage

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 20, 2015) — This Memorial Day, the University of Kentucky will be well represented on one of the nation's most prestigious stages as doctoral candidates Hye Jin Yeom and Yuri Kim perform at Carnegie Hall.

Yeom was one of only 12 first place winners in the college students and professionals' pianist category at the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, which qualifies her to perform in a special winners recital held in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall on May 25. Kim was one of only nine pianists to take first place in the college students and professionals' category at the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, which qualifies her to perform in a special winners recital held in Weill Recital Hall on May 25 as well.

An appearance at Carnegie Hall is no small feat. "It is a dream for any serious musician to play solo at Carnegie Hall. A performance there never 'just happens' - one has to earn it with hard work, dedication and never-ending self-improvement," said Kim and Yeom's professor, Irina Voro, professor of piano at UK School of Music.

Yeom will play Allegro de Concierto, op. 49 by Spanish composer Enrique Granados at her recital. Kim will play the first and third movement of George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F.

American Protégé is dedicated to advancing the careers and promoting the talents of all participants and winners. Judges select several winners from different categories including brass, wind, piano, string and voice in both competitions, which are open to artists around the world who qualify in any of nine categories related to age and experience.

The 2015 competition for piano and string musicians saw submissions from musicians from approximately 30 countries, the concerto competition saw submissions from musicians from 11 countries. Previous competition winners have gone on to perform on TV shows, such as "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Voice," as well as several prestigious concerts.

"Yuri Kim and Hye Jin Yeom definitely earned their performances at Carnegie Hall. It is an honor for UK School of Music and the entire university that our students won first prize at the international competitions," Voro said.

Yeom recently completed her second year of doctoral studies under Voro. She earned her master's degree in piano performance from Morehead State University.

Music has been an important part of Yeom's life from a very early age when she began playing the piano at the age of five in her home in South Korea. "Music is beyond language, I believe. And the music depicts the ‘beyondness’ of the world and human beings."  

Locally the award-winning musician can be heard not only on a UK stage but also at Harrodsburg Christian Church, where she plays the piano and organ.

Yeom's passion for music is still strong more than 25 years after the first time sitting down at a piano. "I love Hans Andersen’s expression about music: 'Where words fail, music speaks.'," Yeom said. "Without music, I don’t know how I could awake my soul to see the world the way it is."

A native of South Korea, Kim has a master’s degree in piano performance from UK and a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from Campbellsville University. She graduated with the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from Campbellsville and was a member of the honor society, Pi Kappa Lambda.

A winner of this year's UK Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Kim also won the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Piano Competition in Kentucky. In addition to her degrees, she earned a certificate in piano pedagogy at Moscow's Tchaikovsky Conservatory. While pursuing her doctorate at UK, Kim serves as a teaching assistant in "Introductory Piano."

Kim is excited to perform at one of the nation's most famous performance venues. "I am so thrilled to win this competition and give thanks to the Lord who has given me this opportunity to perform in such a prestigious hall."

The UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu