Idaho State University student Sarah Kim’s senior piano recital will be held Thursday, March 21, in Goranson Hall in the Fine Arts Building.
One piece that will be performed is “Prelude and Fugue in A Minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
“Bach is a favorite to the music community,” said Kim. “He’s as important to the music world as George Washington is to American society.”
Kim will also be performing “Sonata No. 32, Op. 111, in C minor” by Ludwig van Beethoven.
“I especially like this piece because, usually, a Sonata has three movements, but this sonata has only two movements,” said Kim. “The first movement is really enthusiastic and sort of bombastic, but the second movement is like heaven.”
The recital will also include “Barcarolle, Op. 60” by Frederic Chopin Scarbo, from Gaspard de la Nuit by Maurice Ravel.
“Ravel is really important to the repertoire because it is one of the top three hardest pieces to play,” said Kim.
Kim originally hails from Dallas, Texas.
“I was born in Texas because my father was studying in Texas,” said Kim. “He was pursuing a master’s and a doctoral degree at the University of Texas.”
She was raised in Seoul, South Korea, but chose to come to the United States for her college degree. “I chose to study in the United States as well, because tuition is much more expensive in South Korea,” said Kim.
Kim touched on what sets ISU’s music department apart from many others across the nation and around the world.
“Many music schools have a very unwelcoming and competitive atmosphere, but here we have a really welcoming and warming atmosphere,” said Kim. “It makes it really easy to get along with my peers.”
The road to her Piano Performance bachelor’s degree was hard, said Kim, but it was worth it.
“I’m excited because I am finally going to be graduating. It was not easy for me to take certain classes, like physics and biology, because English is my second language,” said Kim. “I cannot even believe this is happening.”
The United States held what Kim longed for, career-wise.
“I was able to accompany choirs here because I had an opportunity in America, but in Korea there are not many chances to do those things,” said Kim. “Even playing a keyboard in a symphony is a very rare chance in Korea.”
Opportunities aside, the Idaho weather took some getting used to.
“I came to Idaho in the winter and I thought to myself that there is no spring or fall,” said Kim. “You have ten days of summer and then it goes right to winter.”
