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Hello and welcome to the Insights and Sounds podcast, a podcast centered around classical music. Join Dr. John Sinclair, and explore composers past and present, their works, and an occasional classical music informational episode.
Dr. Kim Interview
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[00:00:00]
Dr. Sinclair: Hello, good people. Welcome to today's episode of Insights and Sounds, and you're in for a treat today. I have one of my favorite artists here with us today. Now she's a Steinway artist. She has a reputation for being a creative and charismatic on stage. She has won lots of international piano competitions from the Cleveland Orchestra to the.
Polish KY competition to the one in Dallas and Louisiana and San Antonio and New Orleans and the Washington International Panel competition. She's also, I'm very proud to say on the faculty here at Rollins College, education is quite amazing. , she had a bachelor's degree [00:01:00] in the Seoul, national University in Korea.
And then came to get a Master's at Eastman, and then she went to the Glenn Gold School in Toronto for a performance certificate and then to Rice University for a performance certificate and then to Northwestern University for her doctorate. goodness. Byeol, have been in school a long time And it shows when you hear her play.
She is a magnificent artist and I am so proud to call her a colleague. And I'm especially proud to talk with her today. So welcome.
Dr. Kim: Thank you for having me here. I'm really excited to talk about the music with you, not about the education.
Dr. Sinclair: Oh, yes. We sometimes get, , drug down in the minutia, so . Last year you did a couple of works with the Bach Festival, the biggest one we did was a Tchaikovsky piano concerto, and you were magnificent and it was great fun. And so this year you're our guest artist for two separate pieces, and we're gonna talk about the first one [00:02:00] today.
We'll save, Rachmaninoff for a whole separate podcast and talk about that work. So you're preparing the Rhapsody and Blue by Gershwin.
Dr. Kim: Yes.
Dr. Sinclair: tell me, is this your first time playing this?
Dr. Kim: No, I have performed Rapsody Blue in Concerto back in Korea actually. Yeah, that was my first time. And then after that I think I did two piano version and also solo. 'cause
Dr. Sinclair: Oh, really?
Dr. Kim: who doesn't like Rapsody Blue?
Dr. Sinclair: Oh, it's
Dr. Kim: Everyone loves it.
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah. Oh, it's fabulous. It, it's great fun. So how do you go about, um. Learning a piece. I mean, we talk about concertos in general, but in, in many ways, this is, I don't know whether you would agree with this, this is an American one movement concerto. Uh, it's, it's a certainly a soloistic piece with orchestra.
So how do you go about preparing for a piece like this?
Dr. Kim: If you're talking about this big, gigantic piece, um. [00:03:00] My process might be really different from a lot of artists. I try to just read through. I love sight reading, by the way. I love just picking out score and then just playing it. So I do that with new music. I try to learn. I go from the bar one until the end, like how?
How long it would take, I dunno. But I just sit and push myself, do that. , 'cause I love doing that and after doing that for a few days, I get to have a sense of, Like this page is gonna be the trouble. Then I go back to the spot and just work on it, and then I try to go back from the top until the end again, multiple times.
Then I find another spot and I go back to that spot. And so this tedious work, I do that, but without any detailed work, I don't. Do that until I get the better understanding of the piece in general. [00:04:00] So yeah, I must say, you know, some people love working on the details from the first bar. Okay. Let's get that trill.
Perfect. I'm not the type of person I, I work better when I know the flow and the big structure. So if you see my score like. All the color pens there. So it's funny, and I work better when I know, oh, that was page 17 out of 31 like that. Yeah. That's how I, that's fascinating. Yeah. That's how I work.
Dr. Sinclair: It, it makes sense actually, because you want the overarching idea. So many times artists get stuck in the minutiae of one area and, and they forget about the whole piece. I think that happens in the world of. For conductors in, in major works is we have to look at the whole overarching effect before we can really clean up anything
Dr. Kim: Yeah.
Dr. Sinclair: So, no, that's fascinating. How do you, how does a memory work? Do you get the memorization through just repetition or do you literally [00:05:00] work on memorization as you're going through?
Dr. Kim: I think it just comes naturally to me, but. Depending on the structure, there are some pieces that I have to mark on the square. Okay, this is the first time it's going through this harmony. The second time it comes back, it moves on to the next harmonies. So that I do know, 'cause from the experience that I learned, relying on the muscle memory.
And flow can be risky. So I'm trying to balance out between using my brain on the stage. So I've learned that that is
Dr. Sinclair: can you kind of see the score in your, in your head as you're going along?
Dr. Kim: That's interesting question. 'cause that's, that's the question one of my mentors at Eastman asked me, so I was working with the Amy Beach Piano Concerto. I was doing the Rochester Field Harmony.
Dr. Sinclair: should do that sometime. By
Dr. Kim: Yes, yes.
Dr. Sinclair: I love the Amy Beach piece,
Dr. Kim: Yeah, whenever people ask me about Amy Beach, I say it's the combination of Greek Rachmaninoff.[00:06:00]
I don't know if people would agree, but just all the great musicians combined. That is Amy Beach. You can experience so many different ideas there anyways, like he,
Dr. Sinclair: to what we're doing.
Dr. Kim: yeah, back to what we are doing. So he closed the score and then Bill, tell me the passage you used plate. What line is that? What page is that?
And I was able to answer, that's how I discovered, oh, maybe I'm a very visual person. I kind of can see like, oh, that was, you know, like a third line. Then I can kind of trace back. But I don't necessarily see the score when I play. Yeah. But if I have to, yes, I kind of know where it is.
Dr. Sinclair: I, the reason I asked that question was not just for our conversation now, but I noticed in, when we were working together with the Tchaikovsky, you knew all the time where the orchestra was, so you knew the orchestral parts too. And I, I, I noticed that if I mentioned a part, [00:07:00] you could kind of play that orchestral part too.
Dr. Kim: Yes.
Dr. Sinclair: So you know exactly what was happening in the orchestra park, which is a, which is so great for conductors because we're dealing with someone who has control the whole score, not just their own part.
Dr. Kim: Yeah. Thank you for mentioning that because. I really highly value when you're working on the concerto, you better know all the instrumentations too. So,
Dr. Sinclair: better.
Dr. Kim: I'm sorry, but starting today, you're gonna hear me humming. So when I play the concerto, I play my part and then I literally sing the orchestra part at the same time.
Dr. Sinclair: That's really cool.
Dr. Kim: yeah, so I love doing that and. Can go through the whole piece like that. That's when I can say, you know, I kind of know the pace. Yeah.
Dr. Sinclair: I think really know the piece. Yeah. Is that complicated to hum? Some maybe different rhythm as you play?
Dr. Kim: Rev in blue is tricky as you know. Right.
Dr. Sinclair: why I was asking.
Dr. Kim: Yeah. The rhythmical [00:08:00] complexity in that piece is honestly between left hand, right hand. I hate saying this 'cause I'm a pianist. I don't people, I want all the good people to know that I don't struggle putting both hands together.
Dr. Sinclair: I think everybody does.
Dr. Kim: But on Rhapsody in Blue, that can be tricky. It's not too. It's for the interpretation reason. It's not just to read what's written on the score, um, to bring out the good combination of orality in your own artistic voice. Um, that can be tricky. But humming the orchestra part while doing that is, yeah, it's been really interesting journey.
Dr. Sinclair: can only imagine. . Okay. So the interesting thing for me about Rhapsody and Blue is it is such a mixture of classical and jazz Gershwin. So wanted be able to write like a classical [00:09:00] composer, and yet he made a fortune writing tunes.
And um, and so I think that this has gotta be fascinating for a pianist because it is. He's, he's using classical chops, but my goodness is it have great jazz influence.
Dr. Kim: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Dr. Sinclair: So does that make it, the rhythms more complicated? Certainly make it more complicated with your humming, but, but, but does it make it more complicated in general in, in, in the piece or does it make it more fun, more interesting.
Dr. Kim: I think if you're trying to just focus on the rhythm, it gets really tricky. But I think a rhythm is just one of many elements that's about nuances, right? So if you can understand the neons, what he was trying to do in the section. Rhythm with the time and repetition, it just comes naturally. I think I experienced a similar thing with Capin, if you know.
Yeah. Clete Capin was the Russian composer who was highly [00:10:00] influenced by jazz, so certainly jazz style.
Dr. Sinclair: Okay.
Dr. Kim: Absolutely. But the composer himself said, no, I'm not a jazz musician, because I wrote every single thing there.
Dr. Sinclair: Wow.
Dr. Kim: I think that's really interesting. What's so bad about being a jazz musician, but that's what he really didn't
Dr. Sinclair: he viewed, you really couldn't be a jazz musician unless it involved improvisation, is what he was saying.
Dr. Kim: Yes, yes, yes. But the stylistically, like these days, I think a lot of people can sense, okay, that is definitely jazz style because of this bluesy rhythm and you know, all other things. But yes, absolutely improvisation is just. Must have for the jazz. But yeah, I don't know what the borderline is between being jazz music and classical music.
Like it all started
Dr. Sinclair: It's, it's, it, it's all, um, it's all melded together in my head too. I mean, I think if you separate it [00:11:00] out, I don't think you do either very well.
Dr. Kim: was.
Dr. Sinclair: was the famous quote by, was it Louis Armstrong that said, if you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know. And, and I'm kind of convinced that's the case here.
You know, if you, if you talk too much about the, the influences, you just play the piece.
Dr. Kim: Yeah.
Dr. Sinclair: So what do you like about Rhapsody and Blue? Or maybe you don't like the piece and say, why did you ask me to
Dr. Kim: do that? No, I absolutely love this piece. Um, I honestly am a big fan of jazz music. If you ask me about the jazz missions, I really don't know anything. 'cause I literally Google like, okay, bluesy jazz, or, you know, 1920s, like city music. I do that and then just listen to a lot of them.
Um, I must say. Back in my instrument time, like they were really known for the good jazz program there, so they were bringing a lot of good musicians and I was working on the cap posting, but of course, classically trained [00:12:00] musician. I go by like literally what's written, right bar to bar and then just something was not clicking.
I didn't feel. A lot of people were saying that jazz music is about the free, so I went to literally every jazz concert that was going on at Isman. I didn't even go to the classical concerts, but I did that 'cause I really wanted to understand. So that's how I started exploring my new like flavor in jazz.
And I can proudly say in new audience, I was performing this Caping work. And then one of the audiences came up to me, you know what? I'm a jazz musician. Do you wanna live in the New York and then doing the jazz with me? I think there's a good market. That's what he said. So that
Dr. Sinclair: Wow.
Dr. Kim: right?
So anyways, I love jazz music, so of course rap so in blue is really special.
Dr. Sinclair: uh, I, I, I love it too. I think it's, it's such fun and I, it, I never get to do it enough. Only every few years by the way, I had here, uh, as a guest, the box festival. [00:13:00] Many, many years ago, Earl Wilde,
Dr. Kim: Ooh,
Dr. Sinclair: who was the one who premiered this, and when he was warming up, uh, before his concert, I said, would you play that opening statement of Rhapsody in Blue for me?
And of course he, you know, knew it and he played it, but um, yeah. Anyway, um, it was quite fun to hear. I think he premiered it with a Paul Whiteman orchestra originally was all the way back. Is there particular spots, technical challenges in Rhapsody and Blue? As you've read through it now, uh, and you know, if you're like me, you might have done the piece, but you put it away and so you come back to it with fresh eyes
Dr. Kim: Yeah, absolutely.
Dr. Sinclair: and, uh, I maybe different than you.
never do the piece usually the same way twice because. I've lived a little bit in between then and different things are more important to me and I hear different things. So with that in mind, I guess I might revise a question, not about [00:14:00] the technical challenges, but it's been a few years since you've probably played this.
Um, what are you finding fresh and new about this piece, this time?
Dr. Kim: Um, there was, I'm trying to think back what year that was. That was pre COVID. Isn't it funny, whenever we think about the year, it always, going back to the COVID time.
Dr. Sinclair: pre COVID or post COVID. Yes.
Dr. Kim: So there was 2019. Yes. So that's when I really like all the solo reps and two pianos, orchestra concerto. Like that all happened in the same season.
But honestly, I got sick of it,
Dr. Sinclair: Oh.
Dr. Kim: you know, I'm like, I'm tired of rap Blue. I'm gonna put it back, even though audiences loved it. Um, and then I think it was last year actually here, one of my students really wanted to play this one solo. So he said he played in his band, the Keyboard. So he already had a great sense of the band [00:15:00] style, but, um, I wasn't a big fan of the band.
I loved orchestra version so much. So my all idea was based on. The orchestra, a lot of it. Um, but working with my student, he told me about, you know, like, oh, when we were rehearsing with this band, da da, that interestingly changed my perspective, like how band can play different style from orchestra, how different they can be.
And I became really particular about one section when I was working on this piece with my student. Um, you know, in the za
it can be interpreted so many different ways. Right? But I kept hearing almost like brushing, percussion, you know, like that. But of course, piano cannot imitate that unless I literally storming on the street.
Dr. Sinclair: that's something you need to invent. Maybe with your foot you can do this or[00:16:00]
Dr. Kim: Something,
right? Just it was like a brush, something on the floor to imitate the sound. So I do have, um, the color palette that's become really broader than before, but I'm trying to find how to like, create that from the piano when it's so different. I think it is. Answer really goes to a lot of different transcriptions arrangements, right?
When I'm so used to hearing, not used to when I love the sound of certain like instrumentation,
Dr. Sinclair: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Kim: but I have piano,
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah. So you're trying to, you're trying to, in many ways, not maybe imitate, but be in, in, uh, synergy with the sound of that instrumental group.
Dr. Kim: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Sinclair: Can you change that many sounds within the piano?
Dr. Kim: A lot [00:17:00] of times. Yes. Yes. I love, I'm fascinated by how much of sound the piano can create. That's why I, I am doing the piano honestly. Um, like, because the piano instrument is such big size and, you know, like all the strings, fascinating mechanism inside is going on. Um, depending on the. A lot of your, how you use your body, the sound changes, like angles of your fingers, angles of your wrist.
So many, you know, like all those knuckles that's going on, like they change the sound so much. So a lot of times confidently I can say, oh, does it sound like a trumpet? Does it sound like a flute, violin, cello, no problem. But so far the snare drum, I can't.
Dr. Sinclair: Maybe. Maybe that's that's done outside the instrument. I think our audience are gonna be fascinated by the idea that a pianist. Can change the sound [00:18:00] of the instrument. I, I notice it myself all the time and, and you're really good at, at, uh, wonderful, at, at, at sounds and, and you make different parts of the concerto sound different in the same instrument.
And so I think it's gotta deal with maybe just lots of technique. Or is it imagination? Does it have to do with the pedaling? I mean, is it the combination of everything? How do you, how do you approach all these sound changes?
Dr. Kim: Yes, that involves a lot of different concepts. As I said, it could be how you use your body basically. For sure. So I literally studied how our body works, like bones and like knuckles. I read all those books when I was at college. I love this so much. And pedaling for sure. I also read like two books of just a pedaling, like how does it work?
So it's not just. We are talking about the pedaling. It's not just about down and up. There [00:19:00] are so many different layers in the pedaling too, and then it also depends on what piano you're playing, unfortunately.
Dr. Sinclair: it's gotta
Dr. Kim: Yeah. That is the job as a pianist, just getting used to the new piano that's given to you right there.
Right. We don't carry our instrument unfortunately, so
Dr. Sinclair: you know, that's gotta be so challenging. I can imagine you'll show up at some places, you're doing concerto or solo recital and it's an instrument you love, and then you'll show up at another location and it's an instrument. You have to work twice as hard to get a good sound out
Dr. Kim: Yeah. And then the venue too, right?
Dr. Sinclair: yeah. How the room sounds.
Dr. Kim: yeah, last season when I was doing um, c piano concerto, yeah, that was two days in a row, but different venue. So the second venue was smaller and then I said, oh, the instrument feels da, da da. And then they said, oh, it is the same instrument. They drove that instrument like three hours for that concert, but it changed so much
Dr. Sinclair: in that
Dr. Kim: Yeah. In that room. [00:20:00] So yes,
That is
Dr. Sinclair: a difference. Well, we are gonna do this piece in Steinman's Hall.
Yeah. It ought to be really fun. You, I think you'll really love the sound of that room. You'll. Um, what I like best about Steinman, besides the beauty of it, uh, I actually can hear things in there really well and, um, it, it's, it's going to be a joy to, to, to hear this piece in that room.
That's gonna be a fun concert. By the way. We're gonna open with Copeland's Ho down just to warm the audience up. Then it's Rhapsody and Blue. Then we come back after break into Carmina Bana. So it's all, all 20th century. so you referenced the. 1924 was when I think they did the band
Dr. Kim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Dr. Sinclair: have you listened, do you listen to lots of recordings of this too, or do you prefer to just play it yourself and not really reference any recordings?
Dr. Kim: I try to stay away from hearing a lot of the recordings, but [00:21:00] with my students.
Dr. Sinclair: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Kim: I heard the bad version.
I had to, yeah. And first time for sure. Yeah. I love that
recording.
Dr. Sinclair: that great? That's that's the one I always gravitate to when
Dr. Kim: Yes. Yes. Um, honestly, I felt a little guilty favoring Bernstein's recording over P'S version.
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah.
Dr. Kim: I feel bad, but I hear the intention.
What he really wanted to hear, surprisingly, his recruiting was very. A square.
Dr. Sinclair: All right. It was.
Dr. Kim: Yes. It was very like, that was clear to me that his intention was okay. I do have this classical background too. That's how I took it. Um, but Bernstein's recording was really special.
Dr. Sinclair: Well, you, you know, the reason I, I think so is that, think about Bernstein's output. He was really the able to. Capture [00:22:00] like in works like West Side Story, he was able to bring in all kinds of cultural things and he was such, at the top of the classical music world. He, he could get by with trying anything and everyone thought it was great, but I really thought the same as you.
I thought he captured the essence of the, of the piece and the jazz. And I'm convinced the early versions, they were so concerned that we have to make this sound pretty classical because it was, you think about it in the 1920s, how unique this was to have a piano concerto in a jazz style. I mean, it, it had to, it had to feel foreign and I'm sure they had to think, well, let's make it a square as we can so we don't offend the audience.
Bernstein did not have any limitations. He just played the
Dr. Kim: Mm-hmm. Right. So true. Just free out of it sometimes, like having that, um, like expectation, you're just overthinking. I mean, that happened to me a lot of times too. Like I'm sure for a lot of artists, like [00:23:00] we tend to like focus on one thing or one idea and then just get stuck.
That's going back to what we started with this podcast
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's um, that's so true. So, um. You know, uh, when rap, when I talk about Rhapsody in Blue in particular, I always think about the, the very opening. That opening is so magnificent for the pianist. Um, how do you approach that sound and coming out of that wonderful clarinet, gado, and it sets that up for you. So how do you approach this?
Dr. Kim: In the hole. I love hearing instruments lingering echo, and then I try to take over that energy.
Dr. Sinclair: That was what I was wondering.
Dr. Kim: Um, yeah, so that, I think those moments when I really do that, like audience sense that, and that's what creates the magic in the live setting. So when people ask, [00:24:00] what's the difference between live music and the recording, um, that is a huge thing.
Like those magical moments in the recording still. With all these fancy technologies, there's a limit. You don't really feel that energy. And then why do you love music? 'cause for the soul. That's about
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah. If it, if it doesn't, if it doesn't move you, there's no reason to make music.
Dr. Kim: Yeah. So with that being said, if you're listening to this.
You should be there for the live, live concert. I'm inviting you all and yeah, and I kind of sense that with Pac Festival Orchestra last year when we were doing the Tchaikovsky in the second movement, when I had that eye contact with the cellist, the End Fullest in the second movement, like we were feeling that connection on the stage and then that is so special.
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah, you'll have, uh, lots of years of working with, with these people, and, uh, they loved having you as a soloist, and you could see that. And, you know, one of the interesting things about [00:25:00] conducting a concerto is for, at least for a conductor's perspective, is I'm really not in charge. You know, you know, I'm behind the piano.
I'm behind the piano, and that's okay. I I, I'm, I'm happy to give up the control, but I loved seeing the interaction you were having with the orchestra members themselves. Um, you know, many years ago I brought Leon Fleischer here to play, uh, a piano concerto, a Mozart concerto. And our first rehearsal, everything went swell.
And at intermission, I said, you know, Mr. Fleischer, you, um. I watch you sometimes you conduct this piece from the piano. He said, oh yes, quite often. And I, I said, why don't you do it here? And he said, but you've prepared this. I said, yeah, but I'm happy to listen and watch. And he said, are you serious? And I said, I'm dead serious.
I'd like to see the interaction. And it was amazing. Frankly, that changed the sound because the players [00:26:00] had to interact with the pianist.
Dr. Kim: Right.
Dr. Sinclair: So in many ways it's probably good that they put us conductors behind so that the pianists have the freedom to interact with the, with the artist around them.
Dr. Kim: That's fascinating. I mean, you're so humble.
Dr. Sinclair: No.
Dr. Kim: I will say like, 'cause um, conductors, I mean I do have a lot of conductor friends, but it's interesting to see how, um, conductors those perspectives can change the dynamic in the orchestra. As also always too, when I tour, that is always the first thing I'm scared of
Dr. Sinclair: Oh.
Dr. Kim: how, what is going on?
Like dramas like, okay, in the orchestra, what's the dynamic? What's going on? Like, like are they good? Especially with the conductor. And that dynamic can change a lot of things. Like that impacts how I feel on the stage two.
Dr. Sinclair: I, I want, I want a setting, and I hope you notice this. [00:27:00] I want a setting in the orchestra of a bunch of friends and colleagues making music. I don't want it to feel like I'm in charge and you're not. As a matter of fact, I love the input. I love when someone will say, have you thought of doing this?
Um, I, and um, and I want the orchestra to, to feel that the soul is, is just one of them. And that, that I'm not the barrier in between. As a matter of fact, I just kinda open the gate and get outta the way. Uh, and I say that because the orchestra loved having you there this year and uh, after the Tchaikovsky, uh, we were talking with some of the players and one of 'em said, so what's she going to play next year? They already said, well, she's gonna be back, aren't they? And I said, yes, of course she's gonna be back. And we had, at that time, I was able to tell them, well, later at the festival we're gonna do the rockman and off, uh, too. And I said, but, uh, there's a surprise for you in the fall. So when they read the announcement of [00:28:00] what the program was, I got several emails.
Okay. We know the surprise now. So, so yeah, that I'm, I'm looking forward to, to this, uh, it's been a number of years since, um. I've been, had the privilege of being involved with this piece. So what else would you like to tell our audience? I, you know, I, I, I shortened your bio because I could have used the entire podcast on just telling him about you.
'cause it, it, it's, you've had a fascinating career your. And, um, you're still really young in this career, so this is real exciting to see a young artist, uh, uh, flourishing so, so well. But what is it that we've not talked about in you preparing a piece of music or in rap sea and blue that you would like the audience to know?
Dr. Kim: About my preparation. I love talking about how I prepare the music. Um, I think this is what I always tell. [00:29:00] A lot of my colleagues, 'cause we like between colleagues, we always talk about, so how do you prepare? Like, like how do you feel? I never feel prepared. Uh, I'm even scared to use the word like, prepare, like what does it mean?
What is the preparation like? Is that even the a hundred percent preparation? Like I, that word scares me.
Dr. Sinclair: Oh, it should scare everyone. You, you know, I have, I have this theory that the worst compliment I could ever get at the end of a concert is for someone to come up to me after the concert and say. That was correct.
Dr. Kim: Oh my goodness.
Dr. Sinclair: I mean, because you've lost the whole idea of why you're there.
Dr. Kim: Yeah,
Dr. Sinclair: Um, I, I think all of us who are, and you're a perfectionist, whether you like to admit it or not, you are, and, and, uh, I think all perfectionists never feel the [00:30:00] job's done.
It isn't that you're not prepared. 'cause you're certainly prepared. You, you knew every spot in the, in the, in the concerto and what the orchestra was doing, the, the. The question is, do we ever feel prepared? And if you're an artist, you're continuing to grow, and how can you continue to grow and think that you've reached the pinnacle?
Dr. Kim: Right. Yeah. But honestly, like whenever people ask me like, oh, are you ready? Like, are you prepared? How did a concert go? Like all those questions in earlier stage of my career, like that made me wonder, so, oh, I didn't really feel prepared. Oh, I could have done it better in that way. Like there was never like, yes.
So I was thinking, how can I cope with this if I ever like. If I cannot say that I'm prepared or it went well, then what's the point of me doing this? Right? So I had to accept, [00:31:00] um, just my own way to feel, okay, I can go into the stage that is, so I'm going a little crazy when the date comes up. Even when I'm talking to people, like music plays in my head, like even when I'm sleeping, you know, like we go through the deep sleep and yellow.
That the music goes in my head, the certain passage, and then that drove me crazy. Like I really hoped, oh, I wish I can just act like a normal person. But when that happens, I know, okay, I, that means I can go into the stage. So it goes with like high stress that means, but yeah. So with that being said, if I look a little.
Space. That means, oh yeah, she's getting ready.
Dr. Sinclair: Well, you see, you, you have, you have a system. I, I, I keep, uh, when I'm working on a particular piece, it stays in my head and that, and, uh, [00:32:00] I could find myself at a stoplight, humming a movement of that or, yeah, I mean, it's, it's there the. I can only imagine that, but I don't know. The word for you is prepare.
I don't think that's it. 'cause you're prepared. You've gone with a piece cold. I think maybe the answer, uh, uh, I'm trying to find the right verbiage here. Are you, and I hate to use the word ready, I hate to use the word prepare. Are you, you know, maybe it's, you're ready to make music, period. Yeah,
Dr. Kim: Yeah, that's simple.
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah, simple. It's not a, it's not about giving up, you know? People who do the same thing, the same piece, and you know, people who they specialize on this particular piece.
Dr. Kim: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Sinclair: After a while, that piece starts to sound pretty boring.
It loses its freshness. So I think that that's one of the exciting things. So, back to one thing, you know, if you teaching a novel, the literature professor always goes back and reads [00:33:00] that novel again, even though they've maybe read it 20 times. So this is a piece you've done before and you're coming back to it fresh. So the question I don't think, I think I alluded to it, but I never got to it. The question is, what do you think you're gonna bring to it this time you didn't have last time? Because you've grown as a person, you've grown as an artist, you've lived life, you have a child now.
I mean, you have so many different things in your life that you didn't have when you played it last time. And. Is this going to, how will you, how will you change the music to reflect your changes?
Dr. Kim: I think back then I was thinking just a lot about the music itself, right. I was trying to find what we been discussing, um, in this conversation. Like, so what, like this jazz material, oh, how can I convince this idea to the [00:34:00] audiences? That's what I kept focusing on, but now that what it's been almost six, seven years, I wanna focus more on how I can touch people's soul.
They're sitting there expecting some magic. It's stem as whole. So I know on the stage I'm gonna feel like I'm in the magic, right? Because I know with that dynamic you have in the orchestra, like I'm gonna feel it. But STEM is big hole too. Like for the audiences to feel that energy and the magic, like we might need to plan something.
Better. So I think that's what I'm gonna keep thinking about. Like what kind of like, I might have to exaggerate some sound qualities if there's a really specific thing I wanna
Dr. Sinclair: Mm-hmm.
Dr. Kim: people to notice. So those are the things I'm gonna keep focusing on.
Dr. Sinclair: Fabulous. You know, we could talk all day, and I, and I, I would [00:35:00] enjoy that and I always enjoy our conversations, uh, uh, throughout the year. And, uh, we'll return and talk at another date about the Rock Monan off. But in the meantime, I cannot wait for us to have a chance to perform Rhapsody and Blue together.
I know the Bach orchestra's really looking forward to working with you. And, um, as, as am I, and thank you so much for coming and having this conversation with me today.
Dr. Kim: Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward.
Dr. Sinclair: Yeah, me too. Thank you again. Now, good people. Thank you for joining us. And you know, the power of music belongs to each of you, so I hope you'll tune in for future podcasts because if nothing else, you'll get a chance to hear Al Kim, Dr.
Alki, to talk about rock bonoff in a, in a, uh, month or so, maybe more than a month. So you'll wanna cut that part out, have an opportunity to hear her discuss the rock on and off. But in the meantime. Thank you for listening and we wish you good listening. [00:36:00] So if you want to hear this live with Beal Kim, I would encourage you to get tickets for November 2nd Sunday afternoon.
Steinmetz Hall with the Bach Festival Orchestra, Beal Kim and the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra with Copeland Gershwin, and the iconic Carmina Bana. Hope to see you there.