Sangyoon Kim Appointed Assistant Professor of Clarinet

Sangyoon Kim, in a black suit, holds his clarinet against a dark background

The School of Music is pleased to announce that, following a national search, current affiliate faculty member Sangyoon Kim has been named Assistant Professor of Clarinet. His appointment begins in Fall 2022.

 “This is a huge honor, and I am grateful to be appointed as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota,” shared Kim. “I very much look forward to collaborating with the great faculty and students, and I’m happy to share my experiences as a performer, and my education in various backgrounds such as Korea, France, and the States.”

Kim joined the School of Music in 2020. “He is a superb artist and an exceptionally effective teacher,” said Interim Director Gwendolyn Freed. “We are absolutely delighted that he is joining us as an Assistant Professor.” 

Kim is principal clarinet of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He is the first-prize winner of several international competitions, including the 67th Prague Spring International Music Competition in 2015, the UNISA International Flute and Clarinet Competition in 2014, and the Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition in 2012. He is also a past laureate of the International Clarinet Competition in Ghent.

As a passionate orchestra player, Kim has played as the guest principal clarinet of The Cleveland Orchestra and the London Philharmonic, with Vladimir Jurowski, Christoph Eschenbach, Franz-Welser Most, and Jaap Van Zweden. He made his debut at the Prague Spring International Festival in 2016 as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of their Music Director, Sakari Oramo.

A graduate of the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was accepted as the first Korean clarinetist in the school’s history, Kim studied with distinguished professors Michel Arrignon and Pascal Moragues. After Paris, he went on to study in Los Angeles at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, gaining an artist diploma under Yehuda Gilad in 2014. Kim served as Young Artist in Residence with Classical Minnesota Public Radio in 2013. Kim is a Buffet Crampon, Vandoren, and Silverstein Ligature Artist.

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