Conductor

Eric
B.J Kim

Music as a shared breath. A conductor working between orchestra, opera and the concert stage, in Korea and abroad.

Biography Upcoming

About

Biography

Eric B.J Kim is a conductor whose work moves between the symphonic repertoire, opera and contemporary music.

His approach is built on close listening: to the score, to the players in front of him, and to the room. He is known for clear, economical direction and for performances that give an orchestra space to speak with one voice.

Recent and upcoming engagements include appearances with orchestras and opera companies in Korea and Europe, alongside a continued commitment to new music and to work with young musicians.

He studied conducting in Seoul and abroad, and has taken part in masterclasses with leading conductors of his generation.

Based in: Seoul
Repertoire: Symphonic · Opera · Contemporary
Languages: Korean · English

Column

On Empathy

Notes on what a conductor is actually for.

A conductor makes no sound. Everything that reaches the audience comes from the people on stage, so the work is, first of all, an act of empathy: understanding what each player needs in order to give their best, and then getting out of the way.

The same is true of the score. To interpret a piece is not to impose an idea on it but to listen for what the composer was reaching for, and to find that reaching again in the present tense, with these musicians, in this hall, tonight.

And it is true of the audience. A performance is not something delivered to a room; it is something a room does together. When it works, the breath of the orchestra and the breath of the listeners become one thing. That is the moment I work toward.

— Eric B.J Kim

Schedule