Solomon Kim – Composer

Biography

Solomon Kim is a composer-improviser and cellist based in Atlanta, GA. His interests include the political/economic facets of composition and improvisation. Solomon’s work has been performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia; recent venues include the Cremona Summer Festival, International Christian University, International Composition Institute of Thailand, Underground Atlanta, Michael C. Carlos Museum, and College Music Society conferences. He has worked with groups such as Tacet(i) Ensemble, Hypercube, the Emory Wind Ensemble, AMF Contemporary Ensemble, and his own ad-hoc improvisation ensembles to realize new notated and improvised works.

Solomon’s music has been described as “bold and deliberate,” with “each new idea and texture [managing] to capture the attention.” His work has been recognized with the Katherine Blumenthal Award, the 2022-2023 Gordon H. Stipe Society Fellowship, and the Dennis L. Kam Composition Award, among other grants and awards. He has also presented his research on popular music at various venues, including the Research on Contemporary Composition conference at the University of North Georgia.

Solomon regularly performs as part of the Emory University Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Improvisers Orchestra, cello/poetry duo Pen and Bow, and other groups in metro Atlanta, and was a finalist in Emory’s 2023 Concerto and Aria Competition. He has participated in major international festivals and venues such as the Darmstadt Summer Festival, International Composition Institute of Thailand, Cremona Summer Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, Hypercube Composition Lab, Atlanta’s SoundNOW Festival, and various College Music Society conferences.

Solomon is in his final year as a Robert W. Woodruff Dean’s Achievement Scholar at Emory University working towards a B.A. in Music Composition and Economics, and is currently studying with Katherine Young.

Photos

Photos left-to-right courtesy Amelia Andujar (1, 3), Emory PAS (2), Andrew Wang (4), Nat Trejo (5), Aireus Robinson (6).