San Francisco Opera's Music Director Eun Sun Kim Named 2021 Breakout Star, Set to Debut with Minnesota Orchestra

Eun Sun Kim, the music director of the San Francisco Opera, has been named a 2021 Breakout Star in Classical Music by The New York Times. Kim's rise in the music world has been notable. She is scheduled to debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in concerts on March 8-9, 2024. The program will feature Texu Kim's Dub-Sanjo, Arnold Schoenberg's one-act opera Erwartung with soprano Heidi Melton, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.

Kim's program selection is interesting. She has chosen Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, a piece the Orchestra has been performing since 1906, and Schoenberg’s Erwartung, a piece the Orchestra has never performed. These choices are in honor of the 150th anniversary of Schoenberg’s birth and the 100th anniversary of Erwartung’s world premiere in 2024. Kim views this as a chance to combine symphonic and operatic repertoire and to highlight a piece with a vocalist.

Kim has conducted four compositions by Texu Kim, including Dub-Sanjo, which will open the concerts. A mutual friend, who is also a conductor, introduced her to Texu. Kim values Texu's music for its nuanced and unique blend of Korean elements without being overly traditional.

Kim has a busy year in 2024, with debuts with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the New York Philharmonic. When working with new orchestras, Kim approaches with respect and anticipation. She follows the composer's instructions, adds her interpretation, and listens to the musicians' input. Rehearsals are used to improve communication and build chemistry for the performance.

Kim studied composition as an undergraduate and often played chamber music and served as the rehearsal pianist for the university’s opera productions. A professor suggested she try conducting, which led her to pursue graduate work in conducting in Germany. This led to her winning a competition and a job with Teatro Real Madrid, marking the start of her career. If not in music, Kim might have considered being a simultaneous translator, due to her love for languages and proficiency in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Korean.

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