[NewsCulture reporter Lee Sang-wan] Flutist Kim So-hee, known for her refined technique and resonant tone, returns to the solo stage.
Kim will give a recital at 7:30 p.m. on the 13th at Kumho Art Hall at Yonsei University in Seoul. Her program includes solo flute works and pieces for flute and piano.
After graduating from Sungshin Women's University’s College of Music, Kim moved to Germany to complete a master’s at the University of Music Rostock. She went on to earn master’s degrees at Kalaidos University of Music in Zurich and the Anton Rubinstein International Music Academy in Switzerland, establishing herself as a professional performer.
She showed promise from an early age, winning first place in several domestic competitions, including the Seongjeong Music Competition, the monthly EduClassic competition, the Seoul Arts competition, and the Pohang Music Association competition.
Kim has broadened her career across Europe. She was invited to perform at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Music Festival in Germany and has appeared with the North Czech Philharmonic Teplice, the University of Music Rostock Symphony Orchestra, Hungary’s Savaria Symphony Orchestra, the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, the Korean Flute Educators Association, the Pohang Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and the Gyeongbuk Percussion Ensemble.
Her solo and orchestral experience spans major venues. She has performed at Prague’s Dvořák Hall in the Rudolfinum, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Rostock’s Volkstheater, the Katharinen Hall at the University of Music Rostock, and the Baumgarten in Vienna. Those appearances at European concert halls and festivals sharpened her instincts as both a soloist and ensemble player.
Kim studied with Dirk Peppel and Leonid Grudin. She served as an intern and guest member of the North German Rostock Philharmonic, and she performed with the North German Orchestra Academy and the Mecklenburg Wind Academy. She also worked as a full‑time flute instructor at Berlin’s Notenkind Music School.
She currently performs as a member of Arts Council Korea’s Arko Ensemble in Europe. Drawing on her studies, European stage experience, and collaborations at home and abroad, Kim conveys the flute’s delicate lines and deep resonance.
Pianist Kim Sang-won accompanies her. Kim placed third and won the Composer’s Special Prize at the Lyon International Piano Competition and received the Bach Special Prize at the Ibiza International Piano Competition. He also won first prize in the MusicChunchu competition and third in the TBC competition, and has performed in the Kumho Young Artists series, an invited recital in Seoul hosted by Yamaha, and an invited recital in Germany at Bechstein.
The program opens with Marin Marais’s Les Folies d’Espagne for Flute Solo, a Baroque set of variations that highlights the flute’s ornamental lines and rhythmic flow.
Godard’s Suite de Trois Morceaux for Flute and Piano, Op. 116 showcases the elegant melodies and clear forms of French Romantic music, balancing the flute’s singing tone with the piano’s delicate accompaniment.
Frühling’s Fantasie for Flute and Piano, Op. 55 is driven by Romantic expression and a flexible formal structure. Its phrasing and breath control reveal the flutist’s tonal nuance and interpretive depth.
Karkelert’s Sinfonische Kanzone, Op. 114 follows. The piece bridges late German Romanticism and modern sonic textures, juxtaposing the flute’s lyricism with underlying structural tension.
NewsCulture’s Lee Sang-wan prizewan2@nc.press
