Soomin Kim is a composer and singer who is curious about herself and the world around her. She likes to draw inspiration from Korean and Asian American literature, personal and ancestral stories, and ancient music traditions, reimagining them in a modern context. Soomin’s work has garnered recognition, including three Morton Gould Young Composer Awards from the ASCAP Foundation (2019, 2020, and 2022).
In 2025, Soomin was selected to attend the inaugural Memphis Composer Institute, where her work was performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, her orchestral piece star / ghost / mouth / sea was chosen for the University of Florida Call for Scores by Women Composers. During the 2023-24 concert season, she served as composer-in-residence with Zeitgeist, a Minnesota-based new music ensemble, and was the guest artist at the annual Art Festival at the North London Collegiate School Jeju. In 2022, her orchestration of Helen Hagan’s Piano Concerto in C minor was premiered by pianist and musicologist Samantha Ege and the Yale Philharmonia under direction of Peter Oundjian. In 2018, she was selected to write for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony as part of their Young & Emerging Composers Project. She was also the composer-in-residence with the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra during their 2017-18 concert season, for whom she wrote a piece titled The Blue Marble.
Soomin’s work has been presented internationally, with performances in Korea, Japan, Australia, Italy, and across the United States. Her compositions have been featured at prestigious festivals including the Ravinia Festival, Sydney Festival, Liquid Music, Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Norfolk New Music Workshop, and soundSCAPE Festival. Performers of Soomin’s work include renowned artists and ensembles such as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, pianist Lisa Moore, percussionist Ji Su Jung, guitarist JIJI, and violinist Ariana Kim.
Soomin holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and both a Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts in Composition from the Yale School of Music, where she was honored with the Frances E. Osborne Kellogg Memorial Prize.
She recently taught music theory and composition at the Minnesota Youth Symphonies and the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. Also, she co-founded a new chamber music project based in the Twin Cities, Rattlebox. Currently, Soomin is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Composition at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
In 2025, Soomin was selected to attend the inaugural Memphis Composer Institute, where her work was performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, her orchestral piece star / ghost / mouth / sea was chosen for the University of Florida Call for Scores by Women Composers. During the 2023-24 concert season, she served as composer-in-residence with Zeitgeist, a Minnesota-based new music ensemble, and was the guest artist at the annual Art Festival at the North London Collegiate School Jeju. In 2022, her orchestration of Helen Hagan’s Piano Concerto in C minor was premiered by pianist and musicologist Samantha Ege and the Yale Philharmonia under direction of Peter Oundjian. In 2018, she was selected to write for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony as part of their Young & Emerging Composers Project. She was also the composer-in-residence with the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra during their 2017-18 concert season, for whom she wrote a piece titled The Blue Marble.
Soomin’s work has been presented internationally, with performances in Korea, Japan, Australia, Italy, and across the United States. Her compositions have been featured at prestigious festivals including the Ravinia Festival, Sydney Festival, Liquid Music, Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Norfolk New Music Workshop, and soundSCAPE Festival. Performers of Soomin’s work include renowned artists and ensembles such as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, pianist Lisa Moore, percussionist Ji Su Jung, guitarist JIJI, and violinist Ariana Kim.
Soomin holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and both a Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts in Composition from the Yale School of Music, where she was honored with the Frances E. Osborne Kellogg Memorial Prize.
She recently taught music theory and composition at the Minnesota Youth Symphonies and the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. Also, she co-founded a new chamber music project based in the Twin Cities, Rattlebox. Currently, Soomin is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Composition at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
