Kim and Lee to perform Carnegie Hall

Dr. Joanna Kim and Dr. Sanghie Lee, faculty members in the University of North Georgia (UNG) Department of Music will perform Dec. 16 at Carnegie Hall in New York City as winners of the professional category of the 2023 American Protégé Piano and Strings International Competition.

"Carnegie Hall is the most prestigious music hall in the U.S., and I would say top-10 worldwide," Kim said. "Performing in Carnegie Hall is one of the dreams of all musicians."

They will perform “Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14” by Sergei Rachmaninoff, a piece created for voice and piano that became so popular it was adapted for other instruments including four hands piano which requires two pianists on the same piano to present a work. Lee, part-time faculty and collaborative pianist, will play the upper part and melody, while Kim, associate department head and professor, will play the lower part providing bass and harmonies and they will reverse roles.

"We do a lot of choreography, so one can reach one side of the piano without disturbing the musical flow being smoothly played. I would think it's the most intimate setting for a musical performance. There's a lot of physical touch going on when we perform,” Lee said.

Kim said they worked hard to achieve the opportunity.

"We both enjoy practicing and rehearsing and performing," Kim said. "We had a great time getting ready for this."

Both list Rachmaninoff as a favorite composer so the piece, although quite difficult, was an easy choice.

"Rachmaninoff is an early 20th century composer, but his musical style is very romantic. He compresses all the human emotions," Lee said. "Whenever I perform Rachmaninoff, I feel alive. I am usually a quiet person, but I can be an extrovert. When I play Rachmaninoff sometimes, I can be really filled with his great emotions, so that's why his music is my favorite."