May 3: clarinetist Han Kim makes Carnegie debut

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Clarinetist Han Kim in recital May 3 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

From young prodigy to principal at Opéra national de Paris, recital marks clarinetist's Carnegie debut

Program features music by Brahms, Saint-Saëns, and Bernstein with pianist Sahun Sam Hong

Presented by Korea Mecenat Association and Korea Music Foundation

International award-winning clarinetist Han Kim brings his considerable talents to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 3 at 5 pm. Along with the acclaimed pianist Sahun Sam Hong, Kim performs a program of clarinet sonatas by Saint-Saëns, Brahms, Poulenc, and Bernstein, alongside Geonyong Lee's "Song in the Dusk."

Appointed by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel in 2023, Kim is the principal clarinetist of the orchestra of the prestigious Opéra national de Paris, working as the first and only Asian Super-soliste in the orchestra's 350-year history. He is also the Second Prize winner at the 2019 ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Pianist Sahun Sam Hong is a prize-winner of numerous international piano competitions, including the Vendome Prize at Verbier, International Beethoven Competition Vienna, Naumburg International Piano Competition, and 2021 American Pianists Award recipient.

The concert on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 5 pm is presented by the Korea Mecenat Association and Korea Music Foundation, at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall (Seventh Ave between 56th and 57th Streets in NYC). Tickets start at $71 and are available at CarnegieHall.org, CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh.

In 1984, the Korea Music Foundation (President Kyunghee Kim) was chartered in New York as a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing lives and strengthening communities through the transformative impact of music. Since its inception, KMF has presented numerous solo, orchestra, and chamber ensemble debut concerts in New York, including at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall. KMF has presented artists in concert including David Kim, Catherine Cho, Minsoo Sohn, Sunwoo Yekwon, Hayoung Choi, Daejin Kim, Hera Hyesang Park, and Sungwon Yang. KMF has been working with Korea Mecenat Association, a distinguished group of Korean companies, with the aim to elevate the prominence of K-Classical on a global stage by showcasing exceptional Korean performers in American classical venues.

Insider Interview with Han Kim

International award-winning clarinetist Han Kim brings his considerable talents to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 3 at 5 pm. Along with the acclaimed pianist Sahun Sam Hong, Kim performs a program of clarinet sonatas by Saint-Saëns, Brahms, Poulenc, and Bernstein, alongside Geonyong Lee's "Song in the Dusk." We spoke to him about making his Carnegie Hall debut, being the first Asian Principal Player of the prestigious Opéra national de Paris, and more.

Tell us about your recital at Carnegie Hall. Is there an underlying theme to your program?

My theme for the recital is "Clarinet - an absence to be filled."

The most significant aspect of clarinet is a lack of character - it does not have an established 'identity' that lots of other instruments do (I don't like to say it, but sometimes it is quite bland!).

Ironically, this lack of character gives an unlimited imagination for the composers to write for the clarinet. Some composers use it to create a long, everlasting melody line, whereas others use it or a single special effect. Every composer approaches this instrument in a different way, and it is a huge joy to experience the musical variety.

Born in South Korea, where the musical tradition is quite distant from the European countries, I had no knowledge of their culture before I moved to Europe. Coming to Europe with a blank sheet of paper in my head, I paradoxically had a chance to fully embrace the different colours and palettes of culture of the heart of classical music.

In this program, (almost) all the composers are from the countries I have lived in - Korea, Germany and France. I am very much looking forward to sharing what I have learnt in these countries. Maybe there is an opportunity to explore the country of Leonard Bernstein, too!

Your biography states that you are promoting Korean classical music on the world stage. To that end, your Carnegie program features a work by Geonyong Lee, a composer who may be unfamiliar to some music-lovers. What should people know about him going into your concert, and can you tell us a bit about Song in the Dusk, his work on your program?

Geonyong Lee is a Korean composer born in 1947, and he was a professor of composition in the most important universities in Korea - Seoul University and Korean National University of Arts. He is known for his juxtapositions of Eastern and Western music, as well as traditional and modern music.

Song in the Dusk is his series of compositions for different instruments, ranging from clarinet and cello to Korean traditional instruments, and they focus on the daily personal contemplation, rather than a macroscopic theme. Growing up with Korean traditional music, it is a pleasure for me to have a chance to share the Korean aesthetic through my instrument.

You're the first and only Asian Principal Player – not just clarinetist - of the prestigious Opéra national de Paris in its 350-year history. How do you think about the significance of that?

Of course it is a huge honour to have an important position in a renowned orchestra and it is a huge pleasure to be able to play in historical opera houses. I feel like I have a responsibility that I represent my country in Europe - alongside the responsibility as a principal of the most important musical venue in France, and this gives me a huge motivation to create special musical moments.

This concert is your Carnegie Hall debut. What does this significant milestone mean to you?

It is a huge honour for me to be able to play in such a prestigious venue and I am extremely excited to share my music with the audience in New York. This would be my second time in New York (first time being a short two-day trip with a huge snowstorm), so it's almost my first trip and I cannot wait to explore this amazing city in a better weather in May!