Seong Ae Kim is a Korean-born composer based in New York City. Her recent works spanning the past 5 years have been acutely focused on amplifying self-truth and voicing social justice concerns. As a passionate advocate for social justice, Kim has collaborated with fellow artists and ensembles to address and confront the practitioners of social injustice in our society, particularly those who oppress others through acts of racial discrimination and immigrant scapegoating.
She has been recognized with awards from Jerome Foundation, New Music USA and the Composers Now/Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Her recent commissions include Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Tinguely Museum in Basel, Amanda Gookin of Forward Music Project, Parhelion trio, Ensemble Ipse, Hypercube, Ensemble mise-en and Popebama among others. Kim’s works were presented at June in Buffalo, Composer’s conference, International Alliance of Women in Music, International double reed society (Japan, Thailand and U.S.), and Audio Trading Manual Festival (Korea) to name a few.
Break Free
A recurring theme in my compositions is the concept of laboring and striving. With "Break Free," I aim to explore the inner struggle that we often conceal from others. Despite grappling with significant inner turmoil, we may appear outwardly composed. Only when we acknowledge our internal challenges can we hear the deafening roar of the inner storm and take the necessary steps to break free.