Dr. Yoonji Kim

Dr. Yoonji Kim, pianist, currently teaches keyboard skills and is a member of the applied piano faculty at Mason. Born in Seoul, Korea, Dr. Kim moved to United States of America at age fifteen to study. Her background, combining the two cultures, led to her doctoral dissertation research, focused on the role of Arirang in solo piano music of contemporary Korean composers. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from George Mason University in May 2013, under the direction of Dr. Linda Apple Monson. She earned both her bachelors and masters degrees in Piano Performance from George Mason University under the tutelage of Dr. Linda Apple Monson. While at Mason, she was a recipient of the Friends of Music Scholarship Award.

In July 2014, Dr. Kim performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Guatemala National Symphony Orchestra. She also has performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the George Mason University Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Dr. Dennis Layendecker, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia in November 2011. She has been chosen to perform in Mason’s annual Piano Scholarship Concerts, and was featured in the All-Steinway School Piano Dedication Concert at Mason. She was also chosen to perform in numerous Mason Honors Recitals and piano master classes. Additionally, she twice performed as piano concerto soloist with the Mason Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Dennis Layendecker and Professor Anthony Maiello, as a result of winning the annual concerto competitions. In addition, she performed as concerto soloist with the Mason Wind Symphony, under the baton of Professor Mark Camphouse. She has performed in Fairfax Old Town Hall for Spotlight on the Arts Scholarship Concerts and for numerous “Arts by George” events at Mason.

Dr. Kim serves as a pianist at Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, Virginia and also teaches privately. She resides in Manassas, Virginia, with her husband and their three children.

Adjunct Faculty

• Keyboard Skills
• Applied Piano

Degrees

• DMA in Piano Performance, George Mason University, 2013
• MM, Music Performance, George Mason University