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Ryu-Kyung Kim

Assistant Professor; Music Performance Degree Coordinator

Full-Time Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences: Music

Contact

Email: Ryu-Kyung Kim
Phone: 937-229-3936
FH 458
Website: Visit Site

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Musical Art, SUNY at Stony Brook
  • Artist's Diploma in Opera, Academy of Vocal Arts
  • M.A., Voice, Manhattan School of Music
  • B.A., Voice, Manhattan School of Music

Profile

Praised by Opera News ("Miss Kim was simply splendid") for her superb technique, innate musicality and powerful stage presence, Korean-American Mezzo-Soprano Ryu-Kyung Kim performs a wide range of music from Handel to Schönberg, and has so far appeared in 13 world and U.S. premier operas. She highlighted her recent season as a featured soloist for 2023 Silicon Valley Chamber Music Festival’s world-premiere project, ‘وحدة JUNTOS” which was a ground-breaking song cycle co-composed by CMSV Fellows and six Iraqi, Nigerian, Lebanese and Egyptian young composers in collaboration with American Voices. This is her ninth collaboration with Bach Society of Dayton, and she also performed Ann Gideon in Dayton Opera’s world premier opera, Finding Wrights, in the title role of Queen Lili'uokalani in Little Opera Theater of N.Y.’s Better Gods, and as Vera Boronel in Dayton Opera’s The Consul in recent years.

Ms. Kim’s stage successes include her portrait of the title role in La Cenerentola, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Octavian in Der Rosencavalier, Carmen in Carmen, Malika in Lakmé, Idamante in Idomeneo, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Adalgisa in Norma, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Emilia in Otello and Carilda in Handel’s Arianna in Creta with Santa Fe Opera, Baltimore Opera, Cleveland Opera, Dayton Opera, El Paso Opera, Ash Lawn Opera Festival, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Beheme Opera New Jersey, Opera Orchestra of New York, Virginia Opera, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Gotham Chamber Opera and Caramoor Music Festival. As a demanded concert artist, Ms. Kim has appeared in numerous concerts in Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and in both Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and collaborated with internationally claimed orchestras such as National Chorale and Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra in Japan, and Staatskapelle Halle and Frankfurter Sinfoniker in Germany. She also made her New York solo recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in 2006.

Ms. Kim is also a perennial prize winner, her awards being those of The Oratorio Society of New York, The Liederkranz Foundation Voice Competition, The Annapolis Opera Voice Competition, and Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions. Ryu-Kyung Kim's appearance in the opera The Floating Box: A Story of Chinatown [New World Records, 2005], under the auspices of The Asia Society of New York, was highly praised in Opera News and also in The New York Times. She was also a featured solo artist in two critically acclaimed recordings by The Shakespeare Concert Series, Who Is Sylvia? and Music to Hear (Navona, 2020).

Faculty perspective

"In liberal arts education, my role as a voice faculty member goes beyond conventional boundaries. Through personalized one-on-one sessions, I guide students not only in honing their vocal ability but also in navigating the interdisciplinary outlook. Collaborative projects such as ensembles intertwine their musical journey with diverse disciplines, fostering expressive richness. Assisting students to embrace technology and contemporary styles prepares students for a dynamic music industry. In addition, mentorship supports beyond artistic development, providing support in career direction and personal growth. Furthermore, various forms of assessments and reflection help students ensure not only technical proficiency but also the holistic integration of experiential learning, artistry and intellect."

Professional activities

  • Advisory Board, National Association of Teachers of Singing International Region Korea Chapter (June 2022-present)
  • Board of Directors and Vice President, Bach Society of Dayton, Dayton, OH (May 1, 2020- Present).
  • Advisory and Editing Board, The Sacred in Opera of National Opera Association (January 2018-Present).
  • Adjudicator, Bach Society of Dayton's Annual Young Composers Competition, Dayton, OH (December 2021-Present).

Research interests

  • Korean Lyric Diction for American Singers and Teachers
  • The 21st Century Korean Art Songs (gagok) and their stytles
  • The Second Viennese School Composers: Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern in 1908-09
  • Understanding Worship Music as Spiritual, Artistic and Intellectual Devotion and Exercise through the Motets Written by Three Italian Nun Composers of Convents in the 17th Century

Courses taught

  • MUS 191 Voice Class
  • MUS 202 01 Professional Development Workshop (MUP)
  • MUS 235 Vocal Pedagogy
  • MUS 390 08 Opera Workshop
  • MUS 390 P1 Dayton Opera Apprentice Program
  • MUS 408 Diction and Literature (Italian and French)

Discography and Publications

Tek Kapidan-Turkish Folk Song (P1719). San Pedro, Calif.: Pavane Publishing, 2022 (IPA Pronunciation Guide)

Jamjari Kkongkkong - Korean Folk Song (P1717). San Pedro, Calif.: Global Music Choral Series, Pavane Publishing, 2022 (IPA Pronunciation Guide)

Who Is Sylvia?, Navona, 2020 (Solo Vocal Artist)

Music to Hear, Navona, 2020 (Solo Vocal Artist)

The Floating Box: A Story of Chinatown (opera), New World Record, 2005 (Mother)