Rapidly earning recognition as a young artists of uncommon musical depth and versatility, clarinetist Yoonah Kim is a winner of the 2016 Concert Artists Guild International Competition. The first solo clarinetist to win CAG in nearly 30 years, this Korean-Canadian artist joins the ranks of prominent solo clarinetists discovered by CAG, including David Shifrin, Michael Collins, and David Krakauer.
2017-18 solo performances include Yoonah’s New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as well as debut recitals for Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series, Washington Performing Arts’ Music in the Country series, Chamber Music Society of Little zRock, and Union County Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. She also appears as concerto soloist with the DuPage Symphony Orchestra near Chicago, Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Chesapeake Youth Symphony. In summer 2018, Yoonah appeared at the Bay Chamber Music Festival in Maine and went on tour in Greece at the invitation of composer Lowell Lieberman.
In 2016, Yoonah became a member of the Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW), a highly selective two-year fellowship program under the joint auspices of Carnegie Hall, The Weill Institute, and The Juilliard School. With Ensemble Connect, she performs regularly at Carnegie Hall, often in collaboration with renowned conductors and guest artists. One recent Zankel Hall performance was conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, and in December 2016, she performed in France at the Philharmonie de Paris, featuring soprano Natalie Dessay.
As principal clarinetist of The Juilliard Orchestra and the Mannes Orchestra, Yoonah has performed at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Symphony Space. Yoonah has also served as principal clarinetist in the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra, with whom she appeared in the closing ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, televised across the world. Also an active chamber musician, Yoonah tours regularly with the ensemble FOUNDERS and Frisson, and has appeared at chamber music festivals, including the Chautauqua Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, The Banff Centre Music Festival , and Caroga Lake Music Festival. She has been invited to participate in the prestigious Marlboro music Festival beginning in 2019.
In addition to her appearances on stage, Yoonah is committed to teaching. Through her extensive educational outreach working with Ensemble Connect, she serves as an education ambassador for Carnegie Hall at New York public schools. She is also currently on the faculty of New York School of Music and Art and maintains a small private studio in New York City.
Born in Seoul and raised in British Columbia, Yoonah Kim holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music at The New School, where she studied clarinet under Charles Neidich.
