Biography
Nahyun Kim creates compositions that explore experimental concepts, guiding listeners toward new and revelatory sonic experiences. Her music comes alive with vivid color, vibrant timbre, and beautifully nuanced textures drawn from an atonal and post-tonal palette. Passionate about research and discovery, her work is profoundly influenced by the relationship between cognitive science, psychology, and the sense of unity fostered through shared musical experience.
Her works have been presented at conferences and festivals throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, with recognitions in Finland, Austria, Poland, Greece, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, China, France, and South Korea. She has collaborated with ensembles and soloists including Irvine Arditti, Redi Llupa, Jonathan Levin, Jenny Lin, Transient Canvas, newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, MIVOS Quartet, PUBLIQuartet, Ricochet Ensemble, Bruson Quartet, The Sylvanus Ensemble, and the American Brass Quintet, among others. She is a recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award in the concert music category, with additional competition-winning performances at the Kaleidoscope MusArt Concert in Miami, the Abundant Silence New Works Concert in Denver, the PUBLIQ Access Showcase Concert in New York City, and the Kiev New Music Festival. She has also been featured as a guest artist on 91.9 Classical KC’s Sound Currents and KKFI Kansas City Community Radio 90.1 FM’s The Classical Challenge. Her piano work Hypochondriasis is published by Abundant Silence.
As a scholar and theorist, Dr. Kim has presented research at the Scholarly Symposium of the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, the La Frontera International Piano Conference in Brownsville, the Orient/Occident Composer’s Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. She is currently engaged in international residencies exploring interdisciplinary contemporary practice while completing her ongoing project GUMIHO, a two-act opera inspired by Korean folklore and intercultural collaboration.
Dr. Kim has taught a wide range of collegiate music courses for nearly two decades, including music theory, composition, musicianship, songwriting, world music, music appreciation, piano, and keyboard skills, at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, the State University of New York, Stony Brook, Kansas City Kansas Community College, and Hawkeye Community College. Her teaching has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Students’ Choice Teaching Excellence Award (awarded each semester at Hawkeye) and the TEACH Award (Teaching Excellence and Colleague Honor) at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
Dr. Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Music Theory and Composition from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and her Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Her primary teachers include Chen Yi, Zhou Long, James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, and Sheila Silver. She has also participated in masterclasses and pursued additional studies with Chaya Czernowin, Zygmunt Krauze, Toshio Hosokawa, Stefano Gervasoni, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Christopher Theofanidis, Dmitri Tymoczko, Mario Garuti, Akira Nishimura, Louis Karchin, Fabien Lévy, Stephen Hartke, Alvin Singleton, Christopher Rouse, Claude Baker, Paul Lansky, John Psathas, and Ezra Laderman.
Short version
Nahyun Kim creates compositions that explore experimental concepts, guiding listeners toward new and revelatory sonic experiences. Her music is characterized by vivid timbral color and nuanced textures drawn from an atonal and post-tonal palette, shaped by her interest in cognitive science, psychology, and shared musical experience. Her works have been recognized at conferences and festivals across Europe, Asia, and the United States. She has collaborated with performers and ensembles including Irvine Arditti, Jenny Lin, Transient Canvas, newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, MIVOS Quartet, and the American Brass Quintet. Her honors include the ASCAP Plus Award and competition-winning performances at the Kaleidoscope MusArt Concert, Abundant Silence New Works Concert, PUBLIQ Access Showcase Concert, and the Kiev New Music Festival. Her piano work Hypochondriasis is published by Abundant Silence, and she has been featured as a guest artist on 91.9 Classical KC’s Sound Currents and KKFI Kansas City Community Radio’s The Classical Challenge. Dr. Kim has taught collegiate music courses for nearly two decades at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, the State University of New York, Stony Brook, Kansas City Kansas Community College, and Hawkeye Community College. Her primary teachers included Chen Yi, Zhou Long, James Mobberley, and Sheila Silver.
Nahyun Kim creates compositions that explore experimental concepts, guiding listeners toward new and revelatory sonic experiences. Her music comes alive with vivid color, vibrant timbre, and beautifully nuanced textures drawn from an atonal and post-tonal palette. Passionate about research and discovery, her work is profoundly influenced by the relationship between cognitive science, psychology, and the sense of unity fostered through shared musical experience.
Her works have been presented at conferences and festivals throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, with recognitions in Finland, Austria, Poland, Greece, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, China, France, and South Korea. She has collaborated with ensembles and soloists including Irvine Arditti, Redi Llupa, Jonathan Levin, Jenny Lin, Transient Canvas, newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, MIVOS Quartet, PUBLIQuartet, Ricochet Ensemble, Bruson Quartet, The Sylvanus Ensemble, and the American Brass Quintet, among others. She is a recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award in the concert music category, with additional competition-winning performances at the Kaleidoscope MusArt Concert in Miami, the Abundant Silence New Works Concert in Denver, the PUBLIQ Access Showcase Concert in New York City, and the Kiev New Music Festival. She has also been featured as a guest artist on 91.9 Classical KC’s Sound Currents and KKFI Kansas City Community Radio 90.1 FM’s The Classical Challenge. Her piano work Hypochondriasis is published by Abundant Silence.
As a scholar and theorist, Dr. Kim has presented research at the Scholarly Symposium of the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, the La Frontera International Piano Conference in Brownsville, the Orient/Occident Composer’s Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. She is currently engaged in international residencies exploring interdisciplinary contemporary practice while completing her ongoing project GUMIHO, a two-act opera inspired by Korean folklore and intercultural collaboration.
Dr. Kim has taught a wide range of collegiate music courses for nearly two decades, including music theory, composition, musicianship, songwriting, world music, music appreciation, piano, and keyboard skills, at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, the State University of New York, Stony Brook, Kansas City Kansas Community College, and Hawkeye Community College. Her teaching has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Students’ Choice Teaching Excellence Award (awarded each semester at Hawkeye) and the TEACH Award (Teaching Excellence and Colleague Honor) at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
Dr. Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Arts in Music Theory and Composition from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and her Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Her primary teachers include Chen Yi, Zhou Long, James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, and Sheila Silver. She has also participated in masterclasses and pursued additional studies with Chaya Czernowin, Zygmunt Krauze, Toshio Hosokawa, Stefano Gervasoni, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Christopher Theofanidis, Dmitri Tymoczko, Mario Garuti, Akira Nishimura, Louis Karchin, Fabien Lévy, Stephen Hartke, Alvin Singleton, Christopher Rouse, Claude Baker, Paul Lansky, John Psathas, and Ezra Laderman.
Short version
Nahyun Kim creates compositions that explore experimental concepts, guiding listeners toward new and revelatory sonic experiences. Her music is characterized by vivid timbral color and nuanced textures drawn from an atonal and post-tonal palette, shaped by her interest in cognitive science, psychology, and shared musical experience. Her works have been recognized at conferences and festivals across Europe, Asia, and the United States. She has collaborated with performers and ensembles including Irvine Arditti, Jenny Lin, Transient Canvas, newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, MIVOS Quartet, and the American Brass Quintet. Her honors include the ASCAP Plus Award and competition-winning performances at the Kaleidoscope MusArt Concert, Abundant Silence New Works Concert, PUBLIQ Access Showcase Concert, and the Kiev New Music Festival. Her piano work Hypochondriasis is published by Abundant Silence, and she has been featured as a guest artist on 91.9 Classical KC’s Sound Currents and KKFI Kansas City Community Radio’s The Classical Challenge. Dr. Kim has taught collegiate music courses for nearly two decades at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, the State University of New York, Stony Brook, Kansas City Kansas Community College, and Hawkeye Community College. Her primary teachers included Chen Yi, Zhou Long, James Mobberley, and Sheila Silver.
