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Paul Kim, Adjunct Professor of History

Paul Kim

Adjunct Professor of Music History and Piano StudiesDirector of Graduate Studies, Department of Music

B.M., M.M., Manhattan School of MusicArtist Diploma, Centro Internazionale Perfezionamento Interpretazione Musica FirenzePh.D., New York University

Description

Paul Kim maintains a career that aims to bridge the pathways of performance, musicology, and education. As a recitalist, piano soloist and chamber musician, he has collaborated with many of the world's leading artists, orchestras, and conductors. Critics have noted his "brightest flashes of virtuosity and clear transparent quality" (The New York Times) as well as "his musical honesty and integrity, his very recognisable strength of character and personality" (Gramophone). He has been featured in interviews, articles, and television and film documentaries in such media outlets as Newsweek, The New Yorker, International Herald Tribune, PBS, NPR, CNN, and the BBC.

Dr. Kim's research and teaching areas include Beethoven, Messiaen, Wagner, symphonic literature, and twentieth-century music. A specialist on Olivier Messiaen, Dr. Kim has released a seven-CD recording anthology of the composer's complete piano works, which is considered among the standard reference works in Messiaen studies. It was selected as "Best of 2005" by All Music Guide and featured extensively in College Music Society publications. Dr. Kim is nearing the completion of his current project of writing and recording his own original piano transcriptions of the nine Beethoven symphonies, with publication of his transcriptions also forthcoming. Dr. Kim has collaborated on musicological studies and archival research at the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, as well as at the Richard Wagner Museum and the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Germany.

Following his early training in California, Paul Kim continued his education at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, earning his B.M. and M.M. degrees. He also holds a Ph.D. from New York University. Dr. Kim has taught at the Department of Music at LIU Post since 1997 and has held faculty appointments at King's College, New York University, and Third Street Music School Settlement. His former teachers and mentors include Gary Graffman, Martin Canin, Paul Jacobs, Solomon Mikowsky, Jerome Lowenthal, Yvonne Loriod, and Olivier Messiaen.

Dr. Kim's musical family includes his wife Judith (singer and writer) and their two sons Matthew and James (pianists). Together they have performed in concert tours and benefit performances around the world and have released several recordings.

Specialties

Historical Musicology, Music of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Beethoven, Olivier Messiaen, Piano Performance

Publications

  • Author, "Pianos as Orchestra: An Examination of the Transcription Technique in Liszt's Two-Piano Arrangement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony" (forthcoming journal article).
  • Author, "Beethoven Symphony No. 3 and 15 Variations with Fugue." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 3331. 2013.
  • Author, "Beethoven Symphony Nos. 1 and 2." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 3088. 2010.
  • Author, "Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (Choral)." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 2958. 2008.
  • Review of Paul Kim's Complete Recordings of Messiaen's Piano Music. College Music Society Music Bulletin South Central Chapter, Vol. IV, No. 2, Spring 2006.
    • "Paul Kim Performs Olivier Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux, La fauvette des jardins, and Petites Esquisses d'oiseaux" by Jacquelyn Shepherd.
    • "Olivier Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus Recorded by Paul Kim" by Dane Richardson.
    • "Paul Kim's Elucidating Messiaen: Visions de l'Amen, Quatre études de rythme, and Cantéyodjayâ" by Elizabeth H. Schwab.
    • "Messiaen Authority Paul Kim Completes Twenty-Five Year Cycle" by Megan C. Eyden.
  • Author, "Messiaen's Early Works (1928-1943)." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 2727. 2005.
  • Creative Spirituality: The Way of the Artist (featuring interview and profile of Paul Kim) by Robert Wuthnow. University of California Press. 2001.
  • Author, "Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen and the Experimental Works of the 1950s." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 2668. 2003.
  • Author, "Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 2627/28. 2002.
  • Author, "Messiaen's Birdsong Compositions." Liner Notes. Centaur Records CRC 2567/68/69. 2001.
  • Author, "Franz Liszt: The Renaissance Man of Music." The Times Arts. May 1991.
  • Co-author, "Re-tracing Gershwin's Formative Years in New York." Auditorium. March 1991.
  • Author, Olivier Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux: A Phenomenological Analysis and Performance Guide. Ph.D. Dissertation, 1989, New York University. ProQuest/UMI.

Lectures and Presentations

  • "Olivier Messiaen: Music and the Christian Mystery." St. Joseph's College. 2014.
  • "Morton Gould: A Retrospective and Personal Recollections." Interview with author and music critic Peter Goodman. WCWP-FM. 2013.
  • "Stravinsky's Petrouchka: Music and Modern Russian Ballet." Conference presentation and performance, Dancing Between Disciplines and Cultures. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. 2012.
  • Lecture-Recital and Master Class on Beethoven. Sponsored by Dartmouth University and Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts. 2010.
  • "The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven" (a five-part lecture series). Hutton House Lectures at Long Island University. 2007.
  • "What Makes It Beethoven?" Lecture recital. Co-presentation by AGATE Conference on Gifted Education, Tilles Center, and Munich Philharmonic. Tilles Center. 2005.
  • PerformancePlus Pre-concert lecture and interviews. Tilles Center. Since 2005.
  • "The Musical Language of Messiaen: Spirituality and Birdsong in His Compositions." Distinguished Lecture Series, Graduate Composition and Theory Programs. Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, New York University. 2003.
  • "Cultural History of Korea: Music, the Arts and Religion." A six-part lecture series. Center for Christian Studies at The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York. 2001.
  • "American Music in the National and International Context: Charles Ives and Aaron Copland." Lecture and recital. Bruce Museum. 2000.
  • "Vers la Flamme." Performances and lecture on Scriabin and Chekov. Martha Clarke's production of dance-music-theatre aesthetic intersection. Tilles Center and Hillwood Museum. 2000. 
  • "Rachmaninoff: The Apogee of Russian Romantic Piano Music." Recital and Lecture for the 50th anniversary commemoration of Rachmaninoff's death. Carnegie Hall Presentation, co-sponsored by Steinway & Sons. 1993. 
  • "The Technique and Style of Messiaen's Late Piano Works." Lecture recital. Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. 1990.
  • "Messiaen's Birdsong Music as Reflections on Nature and the Compositional Ideals." Conference paper and lecture-performance. College Music Society Northeast Chapter Annual Meeting. 1988.
  • International Symposium on Compositional Approaches, Theoretical Bases, and Performance Considerations. Panelist and performer. American New Music Consortium, New York University. 1987.

Recordings

  • Beethoven Complete Symphonies, Vol. 4: Symphony Nos. 4 and 5, piano transcriptions by Paul Kim. Centaur Records. 2017.
  • Beethoven Complete Symphonies, Vol. 3: Symphony No. 3 (Eroica), piano transcription by Paul Kim; 15 Variations with Fugue (Eroica). Centaur Records. 2013.
  • Beethoven Complete Symphonies, Vol. 2: Symphony Nos. 1 and 2, piano transcriptions by Paul Kim. Centaur Records. 2010.
  • "The Great Piano Scam." Documentary film in the series First Cut. Channel 4 (UK). 2009.
  • Beethoven Complete Symphonies, Vol. 1: Symphony No. 9 in D minor," transcription for two pianos by Liszt. Centaur Records. 2008.
  • Anthology of Messiaen's Complete Piano Works:
    • Olivier Messiaen Complete Works for Piano Vol. 1: Birdsongs – Catalogue d'oiseaux, La fauvette des jardins, and Petites Esquisses d'oiseaux. Centaur Records (3 CD set). 2001.
    • Olivier Messiaen Complete Works for Piano Vol. 2: Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus. Centaur Records (2 CD set). 2002.
    • Olivier Messiaen Complete Works for Piano Vol. 3: Visions de l'Amen; Cantéyodjâya, Quatre études de rythme. Centaur Records. 2003.
    • Olivier Messiaen Complete Works for Piano Vol. 4: The Early Works – Huit Préludes, Les offrandes oubliées, Pièce pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas, Fantaisie burlesque, Rondeau, Prélude (1964). Centaur Records. 2005.
  • Collection of German, French, and Spanish Art Songs. RCA (LP). 1984.
  • Stravinsky's Firebird and Petrouchka Suites (Live concert recording at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center). Pianist with the New York Philharmonic. NYC BOE archive recording (LP). 1977.

Performances

  • Recitals, chamber music performances, and piano soloist with various major orchestras
  • Concert tours: United States, Canada, England, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Israel, and Turkey

Honors/Awards

  • Best of 2005, All Music Guide. The Complete Messiaen Recordings
  • Roger P. Phelps Doctoral Research Grant
  • Manhattan Concerto Competition
  • The Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition
  • MTNA Collegiate Artist Competition
  • Young Artist Competition of Southern California

Professional Affiliations

  • American Musicological Association
  • College Music Society
  • Phi Delta Kappa
  • Pi Kappa Lambda
  • Steinway Artist