Future Classic Women Awards – Chaerin Kim

Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on the women's radio station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artist on the classical panorama. Today on Future Classic Women Awards, we will be talking to harpist Cherin Kim. Hello, Cherin. Hi, how are you? Very good. So this is our sixth episode in the lockdown. What is your lockdown? Where are you at the moment, Charin? I'm currently in Florida. All right. And how is the weather in Florida? It's very nice. Are you able to go out to exercise or you have to stay indoor all the time? I'm trying to stay at home as much as I can because of the current situation, which is difficult for everyone. I try to. For myself and for neighbors and for everyone, I try to stay at home. Yes, that's very good. Well done. And yeah, now we have been talking with people in lockdown in France, in Italy. Every country is taking different measures. And so we were interested, you know, how musicians are coping with the coronavirus at this moment, with this lockdown. So you are not performing because you are at home or you are performing, for example, with living room concerts. I was planning to performing with orchestras, but Currently, due to COVID 19, the concerts got canceled. So I am composing mostly trying to write books for upcoming publications. So that's what I'm doing. And what can I ask? Yes, both about harp method and piano method. Oh, wow. So you are. Well, I introduced you as an artist, but you're actually also a pianist. Yes, I am. And a composer. Yes. So how do you combine these things together? Well, as a harpist and pianist and composer and a professor, everything I am enjoying very much. And I'm blessed that I can do what I love. So I am, I only can say I'm very blessed to do what I love to do. Absolutely. Now, what was your first love? The piano or the harp? Actually, it started with the piano. I'll share a quick story that my mother told me. It started when I was two years old. Whenever she played music, I would stop playing with the toys and books and instead starting playing piano. Not on actual piano, but pretending like I was playing the piano. So for fun, my mother would test me by playing piano, playing music and stopping music to see if I ever reacted differently. I would never dance or sing, but always moved my fingers, put them on the table and pretended I was playing. So she thought I never saw someone playing the piano, didn't know why I was doing it. I think I liked moving my fingers and Maybe I saw someone playing piano and tv. Probably. Yeah. Yes. So when I was around five years old, a piano came to my house. I never got piano lessons, but my parents told me that after I came home from kindergarten, I would play on the piano with both hands. They just thought I liked hearing the music, but then realized I was playing songs that I had heard. I would just sit down on the piano and playing the song. And that made them realize I had a perfect pitch so that they thought I needed to learn my piano. So my lessons began when I was six with piano. So your family, were they musicians or it was just all natural all to you? My parents were music lover. Absolutely. A music lover. My father is a medical doctor. My mom is an artist. My mom is an artist. And actually I wanted to be a medical doctor. Yeah. But then my father told me, how about you do music which can touch people's soul and heal their hearts, if their wounds? So I thought it's pretty cool. So, yes, that's absolutely great. We actually had the guest. Our second guest in the lockdown is the fact French channelist Clara Pere, who just published a book about the Schubert treatment. And that happened because she was going to play music in hospitals and in places where there were people with mental illness like Alzheimer, and suddenly playing the cello, Schubert, one of the most difficult patients, just stopped and listened to the. And she was so touched by the music that she didn't realize that in the meantime, the nurses were changing the. Were treating her wounds. And so she did the big research on how music can actually influence not just the heart, but the body as well. And this is a bit something what you are doing and that your dad was telling you to do. I mean, it's something that we've always known that we feel better when we hear some beautiful music, but at the same time, to actually prove that can make this improvement in a treatment for an illness. It's quite amazing. Yes. So did you try, actually, your first album, that is what we're gonna listen mainly today, is called the Dedicated Poem. Is there some connection with this or who is that dedicated too? I so far released 13 albums. Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. Because I read that this was your debut album. I read it wrong then. No, it's okay. The first album is dedicated to my parents. So, yes, I tried to play all the harp music, thinking about my parents who educated me and who gave their lives to me. Me. So. All right. But this dedicated poem is that debut album. Then I'm right. Am I saying that right? Okay, you're right. You're very right. All right. Suddenly. So that was. It's not Your latest album? 13 albums so far. Wow, that's. That's fantastic. Are they all piano albums or you also release the piano album? There are some piano pieces, harp pieces, also my compositions. Wonderful. Well, the first piece that we're gonna listen to is the handle Prelident Toccata. Why did you choose this piece? It has great opening and it just gave me the imagination of opening my career. And I thought this piece would be perfect for giving people comfort during this difficult time, that there is hope and something that music can give. Absolutely. This is also the very first album. The very first track of the album, a dedicated poem. So this album, it's going through different pieces. It's not about one specific composer. It's actually going towards different eras and styles. How did you decide to the program of this album? It's always very difficult to choose a program, isn't it? Yes, it is. But I just followed my heart. That's a very good answer. Well, luckily handles president. Ok. From the album, a dedicated poem with Chaeryun Kim at the art. And this was handle President of Kappa From a. From the debut album, a dedicated poem by Cherin Kim. Cherin. This handle was absolutely beautiful. I really love Handel. And it's pre dental cut. It's quite special. Now, you said that you started with the piano and then you went into harp. How did you do this passage? How did you decide to learn the harp? Yes, actually, besides the piano and harp, I learned violin, cello and viola. Oh my gosh. Wow, that's fantastic. But piano and harp are definitely my favorite instruments. And that's why I chose to focus on these two instruments. I found very special connection with them. So I love both harp and piano equally because one day I feel close to harp, but then another day I feel close to the piano. It all depends on how I feel on certain days. It's like trying to decide if I love my mother more, my father more. You love them both equally, but feel closer depending on the days, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. Both the piano and the harp, they require such a big dedication, isn't it? For practicing and everything. So it's hard to be able to. And it's very commendable that you're able to do not only piano and arc and also to have learned violin, cello, violaba, also to compose and conduct. I mean, you're doing music at 360 degrees. Basically, yes. I think I don't really feel tired because I love all These I'm doing something I love. Absolutely. Now, what do you think about classical music today? I mean, you are a proper classical musician in so many different directions. But actually the next piece that we're gonna listen to, it's from a movie, Kaleidoscope. Right. So would you like to tell us about this shift in being a classical pianist and harpist and musician to becoming a composer and actually mixing movie soundtrack? Right, yes, actually, this is. I was trained as a classical musician since I was young. This piece, kaleidoscope movie in 2016 released in UK by director Rupert Jones, who was a brother of main actor Toby Jones, who played a role of main actor in that movie. She contacted me via music director that he really wants to use my performance clip of Zabel Sad Margaret at the spinning wheel. This piece is classical piece, harp music, but he wanted to use for ending credit scenes. So I said, yeah, sure. Thank you very much for inviting my piece to be there. It was an honor. I always loved movie music and I don't limit myself only in classical Zangre. I want to taste all different tastes in music genre. For example, classical, pop, gospel or rock or hip hop or any genre. I think we are in such generation that we have to not to limit one genre, saying, criticizing each other, but embrace and appreciate all the beauty in different genre. So I was very happy, happy that my career was opening to the new doors. Like a miracle, surprising gift for me. So this piece, Zabel, is very special for me. Absolutely. Well, this, what you're telling is something I believe very much into and is the fact that good music doesn't have a specific style, it doesn't have words around it, but it's able to break any and open any door and go to audience of any different generation and background and culture, you know, because good music, as you said in the very beginning, is something that can touch the heart. And the heart is the same in any human being, isn't it? Even with animals. I remember when I was studying at Royal Academy, you studied at Royal Academy as well. So that's why I was asking you, when were you there? Maybe we were there at the same time. When I was at Iel Academy, I had a piano student and she had a hunting dog and we were playing, I remember very clearly, a prelude by Bach from the well Tempered Clavier. It was from the second book. It's the one that does like that, You know, for sure. And so the dog somehow was so in love with that piece that whenever we're playing that one, he would Start doing, But perfectly in time with the music and in tune with the music. And that's something you can expect from a dog. It was so. Well, yeah. So cute. It was so cute. And the bavole was really telling you that actually we don't just not human have a heart, but also dog. Animals have a heart and they perfectly respond to music. Did it happen to you to have a bird to come next to your window to sing when you are practicing? Yes, I remember I have one in particular that was last spring. So we'll see this spring if he's coming back. But he would just sit on the tree that is just in front of my window where I practiced the piano. If he liked the music, he would start singing so loud I wouldn't be able to listen to myself. It was like where else? Absolutely. So I think there is not classical music, hip hop music or whatever. I mean those are styles we need to define when we are trying to describe the album to a listener who is curious to listen to some new artist. But music is music. Definitely. Now I know you're also a teacher. You're a. A professor of harp, are you? Professor of harp at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. And I mean you've done so many things at the South Shore Conservatoire at the Eastern Nazarene College. You've been teaching at Harvard University as well for the Office of Arts. How do you combine your teaching with the performing and the composing? Yes, currently I am a professor at both instruments, harp and piano and University of Massachusetts, Boston. So I do teach both instruments and also compose and perform and also try to do as much as I can do whatever really related with music. I don't really find things difficult because I'm doing what I love. For example, I always tell my student this, that, you know, the turtle beats the rabbit. We all know a person who is a genius can be easily beaten by the one who works hard constantly. However, you can never beat the ones who love what they do. Whether they are hard worker or genius prodigy. They can never be the ones who enjoy what they they do with all their hearts. So I always tell my students and this motto comes same to myself. I try to do what I love and if I don't feel that's what I love, then I try to think on other path. And I recommend the same thing to students. So that's a brilliant motto. I never thought about this in this way with these words. But those are very effective and very, very true. Absolutely beautiful and ye. That's something that should be applied to anything, not just to music, but to any other job anyone wants to do. And in particular, that will make the life so much more pleasant because working is part of life. It's also our duty, I think, you know, to work and create and help and you know, and do something that is useful that makes your life meaningful as well. Isn't it? It could be a work is also staying home and being a mother or being, you know, a grandparent. Everybody has a job in their life as a role in their life. And the important thing is to find the one that they love the most so that they can give the most. That can give out the most beautiful words. So you are now you said in Florida, so you're not in Boston, so you're not teaching or you're still teaching online. For example, I took a semester off and my online classes will start from May. But I try to take a semester off, try to practice and compose. Because about 80 more albums will be released this year. Eight. Zero. Yes. Wow. So I came to Florida to prepare all these things and I love this Sunshine State. So I'm enjoying it. And I'm very thankful to my husband especially, who is very supportive and who is very loving and. Yes. So yes. Is he musician or he's just a music lover? He's a music lover. He's a scientist, but he's a music lover. Wonderful. Well, let's listen now to the Belle from the movie Kaleidoscope with Channing Kim at the harp. Sa. How beautiful. And this was Marguerite Dolorose from the movie Kaleidoscope with Cherry and Kim at the harp. Now, really a very touching piece. This is as well from your debut album, a dedicated poem and it's another very special piece. Now often I see that piano pieces are actually transcripted for harp. Would you like to tell the audience? Because harp is a fantastic instrument. It's very choreographic. At the same time, it's also very complicated. What do you think? Is it more complicated than the piano? I started with the piano when I was six. I moved to major in harp when I was 17. My parents were quite surprised because they thought I'll be a major in piano. Piano student I was. But I find it very similar. Of course there is a difference. There are differences because of the enharmonically the pedal system and things. While piano has 88 keys, harp has 47 keys. Strings and the half tones are controlled by pedals, seven pedals. So with the piano we have two feet and two pedals. Normally you use sometimes the middle One not that often. I can think with seven it's a bit. Maybe it might be if you wanted to explain it to a non harp player and not specific. It's a mix between piano and organ. Maybe that they have pedals for the notes, for example, although you don't use the pedal for the notes. I played harpsichord in a concert as well. But half Sichord and organ and piano is quite similar compared between piano and harp. Because harp is still yet string category string instrument category. It has direct contact with the fingertips and string reacts very sensitively. And the pedal usage has to be very accurate because when the pieces move pretty quick pace you cannot really miss one second because then you will play wrong notes. So yes, the systemically piano pedals and harp pedal has very differences. Very much huge difference. But at the end it's music, it's instrument that try to express your heart and feelings. So I think they are all connected in one. I don't see that huge difference in the contrast. Absolutely, absolutely. This is the part when I ask you about the pro and cons of a career. I would like to ask you first of all, what was the most exciting moment in your career if you could pick one. Let me tell you this way. I think it's very individual things. For example pros either cones to me, I don't take things in general right and wrong under contrast. I take as all differences and varieties. For instance, people have different characters, they like different food, speak different languages from different countries. I can't pick what is right and wrong. I can never say that. Or good and bad. I can only say there are differences and we all have our own charms. So I can feel when I'm younger. When I was younger, my elementary school's background playground looked very big. And I realized when I went back when I was around 20 years old, I realized it was actually very small. It was not that huge playground. So in life we all face mountain by mountains. We all have difficulties we might have. We are probably losing someone we love by health issues or ourselves going through health issues major or minor or we face financial issues or all other relationship issues. But we. And when we overcome, we feel like we are done. But another bigger mountains are waiting for us. So I take this as when you overcome with the positivity and hopes then you never lose that hope. And that will make you to overcome. And then those hardship. All the bad times that you might think it was so difficult times will be actually blessing time as a big picture in life. So I can't really pick up one very good moment, one very bad moment. Because I try to see it as a whole picture, as we all have sunny days and rainy days. Okay, but for example, I don't know. For example, when you were invited to study the Royal Academy or at Yale University, was that exciting? Was that something? Yes, every time. Every time. Yale University, Royal Academy, Boston University, or even when I became a professor first time, even when I was performing the piece Concerto. I love all these things. I'm so thankful to all people who gave me opportunity. That's all I can say. Which one I got you. Well, that's a great way to think about it. I really like it. Now, the next piece we're gonna listen, it's the orchestra version of Project Rendezvous. Or it's called Project Rendezvous Orchestra version. So would you like to explain us a bit more about this piece? Yes. Rendezvous has total 92 versions and I have scored 90 versions of it, including versions for orchestra, harp, piano and voice with and lyrics translated into 80 languages. And I have sang 80 languages and recorded it. And they're on the way to release. I'm shy, but I'm hoping, hoping one day all the people from the world will enjoy my songs. And professional singers, whether they're professional or amateur, they will all sing my songs as I already made, in different languages. And this orchestral version has meaning of life and Death because the piece begins with A and ends in A. The theme in the beginning returns at the end, while melody stays the same. The key signature changes from A minor to A major, expressing life as a mirror image of death. So this is your own composition? Yes, I composed and I plan to compose up to hundred versions of Rendezvous. So Rendezvous. Would you like to tell us about the lyrics then? Because we're gonna listen to the orchestral version. So would you like to tell us what to expect, what to imagine as well with this piece? How did you come out with composing this piece? And why to call it Rendezvous? When I sat down in the late at night in front of the piano, I started playing the melody, this melody. I kept going with the flow of the melody without making a single change or edit. Imagining a movie synopsis in my head as I weren't. I even recorded myself because I wanted to remember all the impromptu tunes. And Piano Virgin is started with the Piano Virgin. And it has this particular scenario about women and men. They are lovers, but they both believe they are each other's past lovers. So this is about Love Story. But Orchestral Virgin is different. It's about life and death. It's rotation of Life and death. So I picked this piece because I thought it would be great time for during this difficult time that we realize life and death is all connected generation by generation and at the end it's a blessing. Absolutely, absolutely. But before we listen to it, I would like to ask you. So this is an orchestral version and who is the orchestra? Oh, I did by programming computer so it's playing and then I try to give tunes to each instrument that I think is perfect for it's called orchestration, as you know. So I got inspired by two orchestration Mahler, Gustav Mahler and Booby music composer and Neo Morricone. Beautiful. Yes. I never thought about putting together Morricone and Wagner. They are two incredible composers. It's so completely different at the same time. So you are kind of the ring of connection between the two languages. Mahler and. Well, let's listen then. Rendezvous, the orchestral version from the debit album, a dedicated poem by Cherryn Kim. Sa. What a beautiful piece this was. Rendezvous by Cherry and Kim. Really, really special. I really loved it. Thank you very much. Now we are the last part of our interview. So this is the time of the odd question. So I'm gonna ask you if you have any hobby to free your mind or relax apart from music? Yes, I do have hobbies to relax is sometimes I play football with my husband. Oh, wow. And also I swim with him or he's a great chess player. I am a beginner, but I try to play with him, try to improve, but it's very hard. So I do that too. And. And I try to cook, but I'm not a great cook. I love to eat so I'm trying to improve with cooking. Well, that's a very good way. You know, I love eating as well and so I learned to cook because I wanted to learn to cook the things that I love the most. And in that way I actually became. I think I'm quite. I'm good at what I cook because I know that I like the hand result. So that's a perfect start. All right. Do you have any ritual or superstition before going on stage or before starting a new composition, for example? Not really. I don't have any superstition, but I have a habit. I have a habit what I do before itchy concert. It's every time I do that, every time I do that that I don't get stage fright, like major stage fright. Maybe since I was very little, I was on stage playing solo piano concert. But I love. I'm very excited to go to the stage to share my music with audience. But I'm type of person under pressure in the competition. I'm type of person that I play with more enthusiasm and passion in a concert rather than competition setup. So yes, before every concert I see behind the curtain, I see how many audiences are there, if where is my mom and dad sitting, my husband sitting. I check where our people are there and then I read the atmosphere of the particular whole and particular audiences. Then I feel very happy and I'm ready to go. So I always check behind curtain. Yes, that's a fantastic tip. I really like this. Absolutely. It's true that it's always a surprise when you go on stage and suddenly you see, you know, the faces and you don't really see the faces, but you get the energy, isn't it from the audience. This is a different energy from a different audience. A different, you know, concert hall and everything. Sometimes. Oh, sometimes when I play piano, actually pianists see the size. So I don't really see the audience. Right. But when I play the harp, harp is mostly facing to the audience like singers. Then it helps me to protect some audiences wearing very similar, sparkly, very bright color in front seats. And oh, I know that is my teacher or that is someone then I kind of got to know visually also where people are, what, what colors are there. So I don't get, you know, when I'm performing, I don't get this distracted by colors or shiny parts. Yeah. Now, I don't know if I prepared you for these, but do you have any questions? Funny moment that you can recall for going on stage or embarrassing moments? Sure, a lot of them. Okay. As both as pianist and harpist, I'm little shy and embarrassed to share. But I will share. Okay, thank you. I was a church pianist when I was young. Since very detailed. But from 15 years old I was early morning church pianist. Meaning every 5:00am early morning. 5:00am is very early 5:00am to 6:00am yeah. Which means I had it. I had to prepare from 4:30am oh my gosh. So I'll go to church and I will fall asleep. That during playing the piano accompanying. It was a quite big church. So I was playing piano, I was falling asleep. And then sometimes, sometimes in the morning time. Yeah. The pastor, church pastor could not sing in that original hymn because it's early morning. And from second verse, when second verse comes, he will just ask, oh, can you transpose to C major to B major or third May, third verse comes, then he will ask another time. Well, can you transpose From B major to A major. So I was very sleepy. But I was transposing from here and there every day. Almost every day. And because the hymns were not given ahead of time, so I had to transpose every day. At the time you're a pianist, so you know, I know it's almost impossible, but I thank God that was a great time. When I look back, that improved me to transpose quickly. And then as a harpist, I was playing in Carnegie hall with Boston University orchestra, went to trip to Carnegie hall. And that time I make sure all the strings are not broken. I change. If there are suspicious strings that looks like it's gonna break, I changed. But then sometimes by temperature change or heat of the lights from the hole, if there are so many hits, sometimes harp strings just pops out break. And that happened during the performance. Thankfully, it was not in a quiet moment. It was very for tcc. Okay. So it broke and I replaced G sharp as a flat. So I've thankfully finished the concert without anybody noticing it. But that was. That was all right. That. That's very good. Well, thank you for sharing. Very funny. Now the last piece we're gonna listen today, it's Glinka Delark from again from your debut album, a dedicated poem. Why did you choose this piece? Well, the last part, you asked me one of the best moment if I choose, choose, choose, I might choose this one because I got us special prize from best performance in Russian music from international harp competition in Moscow and they particularly gave me a prize with this piece. Locked with this piece. So this piece became very special and it was such an honor from Russian people giving me such a wonderful present to me. So I always cherish in my heart. So this piece I chose and is also super beautiful. So let's listen to Glinka Delaca. Sa. Sam. Sa. Sam. How beautiful. And this was Michael Klinka Delac from the debut album and dedicated poem of Cherry and Kim. If you have any questions that you would like to ask to our guest or nomination for our feature classic men awards, please email presentersomensradiostation.com or tweet us at @women's radio stn. A big thanks to our guest artist Cherryn Kim for the great chat and the beautiful music play today. Thank you very much, Charyn. It was a pleasure. You'll be listening to future classic women awards on women's radio station live every day at 10am and 10pm London time. If you want to listen to it again or catch up on our previous programs, you can head to the presenter page. Stefania Passamonte Future Classic Women Awards on womensradiostation.com thank you for listening.