Kesh Piano Duo

BIOGRAPHIES

Heejung Kim

Esther Sofaer

The Duo Heejung Kim

Born in Seoul, Heejung moved to the UK at the age of eleven to continue her musical training.

In 1995, she commenced her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music under the guidance of Renna Kellaway. Whilst at the RNCM Heejung won all the major piano prizes including the prestigious Margaret Tudor-Evans Prize and the Catherine Little scholarship. Her postgraduate studies were generously funded by the Musician’s Benevolent Fund and the Else and Leonard Cross Charitable Trust. Further studies include masterclasses at the IMS Prussia Cove with Ferenc Rados and at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. She was a resident at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada, in August 2000, which was made possible by a scholarship from the centre.

Heejung has given solo and ensemble recitals all over the country in venues such as the Bridgewater, Fairfield, Philharmonic Hall Liverpool and at music festivals including Lichfield, Duffield and Peterborough as well as the Lake District Summer Music. Recent engagements include a series of chamber music concerts in the North of England with her chamber group, the Lynton Ensemble with whom she has made a CD of music by Haydn, Dohnanyi and Martinu. Heejung has broadcast on BBC3 Radio as part of 'MacMillan in Manchester' Series and on Lyric FM as part of the Irish Chamber Orchestra Festival.

A growing interest in the performance of contemporary music has lead to working with composers such as Hans Werner Henze and James Macmillan. Heejung gave the critically acclaimed UK Premier performance of John Corigliano’s work ‘Chiaroscuro for two pianos quarter tone apart’.