Recent Works

  • Program note

    Recently, a close friend of mine shared her experience of being a targeted victim of Asian hate. When she was physically attacked in broad daylight in NYC, there was a crowd of people around her at the scene. However, no one tried to help her until after the perpetrator vanished from the scene. She was badly physically hurt, but the emotional wound and the mistrust that she experienced from her community left a larger scar.Anti Asian hate crimes in New York City has surged 361% in 2021 according to the NYPD. “We are here,” is a requiem for those victims of Asian hate crimes including the Atlanta spa shooting in March 2021. It is a reminder to them, and to all of us, that we stand in solidarity to fight against Asian Hate and we as a community together will fight against Asian hate.We are here is commissioned and premiered by Hypercube.

    #stopasianshate #StopAAPIHate

    Performances

    Hypercube- cubelab3 (live stream) in NYC, 2021 (WP)

    New York Women Composers Inc . Greenwich house music school in NYC, 2021

    New Music at Short North Stage concert series in Columbus, OH, 2022

    The International Alliance for Women in Music conference at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR, 2022

    Mise-En Place X ARETÉ Concert: HYPERCUBE in NYC, 2022


  • Performances

    Yarn/Wire Currents Vol.10 at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, NYC
    May 22, 2024 (WP)

  • Performances

    Premiere in May, 2024 at Berlin Philharmonie, Kammermusiksaal in Berlin, Germany
    Performance by David Moliner

  • Program note

    Equal magnitude for fl, cl, perc, pn, vn and vc (2023)

    The piece metaphorically portrays the process of gaining momentum as a journey towards liberation, where emotional drama and physical laboring are intertwined in their desire to move forward.

    The journey is not linear, but rather a push and pull process that can feel like two opposing forces at odds. When these forces reach a point of equilibrium, it may appear static outwardly, however inwardly this moment is the most dramatic point signaling that gaining momentum-liberation is imminent.


    Performances

    Ensemble Ipse
    Concert of Recent Works and Commissions, at DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC, 2023 (WP)

    Musicians

    Matt Ward, conductor

    Margaret Lancaster, flute

    Christa Van Alstine, clarinet

    Molly Morkoski, piano

    Colleen Bernstein, percussion

    Esther Noh, violin

    Caleb van der Swaagh, cello

Fever dream for bassoon and piano (2021)

  • Fever dream for bassoon and piano (2021)

    I. Together, alone

    II. Synchronized

    Click below to view the score
    https://issuu.com/seongaekim_composer/docs/fever_dream_final_final


    Program note

    Fever dream for bassoon and piano was composed in collaboration with bassoonist Jessica Kunttu. The recent incidents of Asian hate crime, increasing since the outbreak of COVID-19, has been one of my biggest present concerns. As I continue to instill my passion for social justice into my creative work, I feel the need to address and draw people’s attention to this issue; with the aim to gather our voices together and speak out against AAPI hate crimes. The piece is a tribute to encourage people to get involved in the #stopasianhate movement. Whether we are a victim, an ally, an advocate or even an activist, “everyone has a part to play. We have the power. You can do it.” (Maxine Waters Quotes)

    Performances

    Jessica Kunttu Faculty Recital at Duke University in Durham, NC, 2021 (WP)

    International Double Reed Society Conference, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 2022

FEVER DREAM for bassoon and piano (2021)

  • Program note

    According to the recent research, 74% of AAPI women reported having personally experienced racism or discrimination and 10,905 hate incidents targeting AAPI have been reported since beginning of the pandemic. The majority of incidents targeted women and 16 percent involved physical assault. Living in an asian woman's body in 2022 feels like being in a maze that has no way out, we are being hunted down like prey. How do we even process these horrific stories that happen around us? How can we move on with this enormous knot of grief and anxiety?

    From maze to labyrinth; though the grief process feels like going down an unending spiral, often revisiting that tragic path is the only way to rediscover the new meaning of a trauma. Sometimes we take a step back to regain strength, in order to take two steps forward to re-member ourselves within ourselves and within our community to fight for justice.

    #stopasianshate #StopAAPIHate

    Performances

    Carnegie hill concert series, Church of the Advent Hope in NYC, 2022 (WP)

    Collaborative Composition Initiative (CCI), Scholes Street Studio in Brooklyn, 2022

    Peabody Conservatory, Cohen-Davison Family Theatre in Baltimore, MD, 2022

    NYsoundCircuit 10.1: LOFT PRESENCE in NYC, 2022


  • Click below to view score
    https://issuu.com/seongaekim_composer/docs/side-blow_2021_

    Program note

    SIDE-BLOW for solo percussion improviser was composed in collaboration with percussionist Josh Perry. The compositional concept comes from the saying “in a fight the innocent bystander gets hurt [suffers a side blow].” Reflecting on the political situation throughout the last few years in the U.S., we often observe the most powerless ones, who are unable to escape from a situation, become the biggest victims within our community. The piece is a requiem for these innocent victims.

    Performances

    Hot Air Music Festival at San Francisco conservatory of music (live stream) in San Francisco, 2021 (WP)

    Composer’s talk and performance, The pocantico Center, Westchester in NY, 2021

    Composer’s talk and performance, Michiko studio in NYC, 2021

    Composer’s talk and performance, Bethany arts community, Westchester in NY, 2021

    Ensemble Mise-en soloist concert series, Mise-en place in NYC, 2021

    Ensemble Mise-en soloist concert series, Mise-en place in NYC, 2022

    Guest Artist Solo Concert at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, 2022

    Guest Artist Solo Concert at Boston Conservatory in Boston, MA, 2023

SIDE-BLOW for solo percussion improviser (2021)

  • Program note

    Break free for cello solo (2023)

    A recurring theme in my compositions is the concept of laboring and striving. With "Break Free," I aim to explore the inner struggle that we often conceal from others. Despite grappling with significant inner turmoil, we may appear outwardly composed. Only when we acknowledge our internal challenges can we hear the deafening roar of the inner storm and take the necessary steps to break free.



    Performances

    Amanda Gookin- Forward Music Project 3.0 on April 10, 2023 at Roulette in Brooklyn, 2023 (WP)

    Musicians

    Amanda Gookin, cello

  • Program note

    The piece started in response to the #metoo online movement last fall. I felt strongly that I needed to break my own silence, to speak up for myself and share my story as well. I decided to tell people the story of my own experience through my composition. Thus, the piece is derived from the story- sound in my inner world. The main idea of the piece was to find my own voice through the instrumental sound and create a unique sound pallet that involves mixed emotions and anxious feelings of post trauma.

    I find the main interest in my composition is experimenting with new sound, discovering new ways to create interesting timbres, and introducing to the audience new colors of Korean music combined with the western instrumental sound.

    In this piece, I wanted to explore more possibilities specifically with multiphonics through deeper study and experimentation of the bass clarinet. Especially, I was interested in how accurately the overtone spectrum can work when the base note is derived from the lowest register of instrument.

    I tried to discover new timbres with percussion instruments as well. Such as a new sound discovery on low register of marimba played with bass drum mallet which is a new “extended” technique on this particular instrument. Also, simple and quite traditional instruments (such as triangle, metal pipe, and cymbal) can sound fresh and like something our ear have never experienced before when they are prepared with aluminum foil. It produces an incredible spectrum of overtones when it’s played with the clarinet, which opens a new world of sound.

    Performances

    Ensemble Mise-en curator series 2017/18 in Brooklyn, NYC, 2018* (WP)

    Ensemble Mise-en at June in Buffalo, NY, 2018 ​

  • Program note

    2 Folk songs for soprano and chamber ensemble: I. Some Die & II. Kanda

    The recent incidents of Asian hate crime, increasing since the outbreak of COVID-19, has been one of my biggest present concerns. The tragedy of the Atlanta spa shootings in March 2021 especially shook me due to the victims being predominantly Asian and women. This mass shooting being an example that highlights the devastating truth that many of the victims of recent Asian hate crimes are often powerless and marginalized people within the community: elderly, women, poor, and undocumented immigrants.

    There are two texts that inspired me to create this piece. The first text comes from the Korean ancient/traditional opera "Pansori- Jeok Byuk," which is a lamentation that lures the devastated situation of the recent victims of AAPI hate crime. The second text, “Saeya saeya,” was written in 1894 as a rebuke to the social and political oppression occurring in Korea during the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsula at that time. Pleading for the safety of the AAPI community and peace, I hope that this piece will offer solace to those who are grieving and foster reconciliation and healing.

    #stopasianshate #StopAAPIHate

    Performances

    Left Coast Chamber Ensemble at Mills College in San Francisco, CA, 2022 (WP)

    Left Coast Chamber Ensemble at San Francisco Conservatory, CA, 2022

    Musicians

    Matilda Hofman, conductor

    Nikki Einfeld, soprano

    Leighton Fong, cello

    Phyllis Kamrin, viola

    Jerome Simas, clarinet

    Jim Kassis, percussion

    Lance Sazuki, flute

  • Program note

    Ever since Trump’s immigration reform took place, I’ve been wanting to compose a piece to support people who are hidden in fear and isolation. Red-blue-very white for flute, clarinet and piano is composed for the people who have lost their voice as undocumented immigrants but who are seeking to voice themselves. The piece talks about breaking the silence (1st mov), recovering the ability to speak for oneself (2nd mov) and finally the recovery of a safe community (3rd mov.)

    Performances

    CREART Music series, Greenwich house music school in NYC, 2019* (WP)

    Sun Dogs Collabs Music series, Greenwich house music school in NYC, 2020

    Sun Dog Collabs presents Unheard-of//Ensemble & Parhelion Trio. @Renee Weiler Recital. Hall. New York, NY. (**Canceled due to COVID19** April 18, 2020. 8pm, Friday.)

    Sun Dog Collabs presents The Furies violin duo & Parhelion Trio. @Spectrum. Brooklyn, NY. (**Canceled due to COVID19** June 20, 2020. 8pm, Saturday.)

    Composer’s talk and performance, Michiko studio in NYC, 2021

  • Program note

    "Lumen de lumine" (Tales of Asia) draws inspiration from two powerful folktales featuring female heroines from Vietnam and Thailand. The Vietnamese tale of the Goddess of Compassion, Quan Am, also known as Kuan Yin, is wel l-known in the region for her heal ing and purifying powers. Another inspiring tale tel ls of two courageous sisters, Ladies Chan and Muk, who led a victorious battle in Phuket during the Burmese-Siamese war in 18th century Thailand. These tales demonstrate the strength, intel l igence, and independence of women in Southeast Asia who demand equal ity and recognition despite gender inequal ity. Inspired by the luminescence of these powerful women who have guided our path, we now carry their torch and pass on their l ight to the next generation, il luminating the l ives of women and all people with vibrant colors.

    Performances

    International Double Reed Society Conference, Chamber Music Gala Concert, Prince Mhidol Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, 2023 (WP)

    Wednesday Recital: K-Classic
    Experimental Music of the 21st Century: New Sound for Double Reed at Baekyang hall, Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, 2023

    Musicians

    Jung Choi, oboe
    Suah Kim, oboe
    Ji Eun Hur, bassoon
    Yoon Joo Hwang. bassoon

  • Program note

    Collocation was composed in collaboration with ensemble mise-en percussionist Josh Perry. With aims to blur traditional thoughts of timbre, the work tries to re-collate the standard conjugation of percussion sounds.

    Performances

    Ensemble Mise-en, connections I Austrian- Korean composers at Austrian cultural forum NY, NYC, 2018* (WP)

    Josh Perry Solo Recital at Stony Brook University in NY, 2018

    ATM Festival- New music day I Ensemble Mise-en ‘Connections: Korean- Swiss composers at Culture tank in Seoul, Korea, 2018 (Asia P)

    Women Composers Festival of Hartford I Music marathon at Trinity college in CT, 2019

    New Mise-en place opening party at Mise-en place in NYC, 2020

    New York Women Composers Festival at the national opera center in NYC, 2020

WORK LIST

Click below to Purchase score