Earl Kim

Biography

Earl Kim (1920–1998; né Eul Kim) was an American composer, and music pedagogue. He was of Korean descent.

Early life, education, and training

Kim was born on January 6, 1920, in Dinuba, California, to immigrant Korean parents. He began piano studies at age 9, studying under Homer Grun, and he soon developed an interest in composition.
He attended University of California, Los Angeles from 1939 to 1940, studying under Arnold Schoenberg. Kim briefly attended the University of California, Berkeley in 1940. His studies were paused when he served the United States Army Air Forces in World War II, as a captain in intelligence. After the war, he returned to study at UC Berkeley under Ernest Bloch, and Roger Sessions; and he received his BA degree in 1950 and MA degree in 1952. In 1967, he earned a second MA degree from Harvard University.

Career

From 1952 until 1967, Kim taught at Princeton University. In 1967 he left Princeton for Harvard University, where he taught until his retirement in 1990.
Kim is known for his vocal and music theater works, many of which use texts by Samuel Beckett, and for his expressive, often tonal style. Reviewing a New World Records CD of Kim's works, Anthony Tommasini wrote in The New York Times, "As a composer and a teacher of composers, Earl Kim espoused a principle so simple it should have seemed obvious. He maintained that every sound in a piece should be precise, purposeful and above all faithful to the composer's sensibilities."
In 1971 and 1972, Kim collaborated with his wife dancer Mimi Kagan on the work "Exercises en Route", which toured and featured text by Samuel Beckett, and soprano soloist performer Benita Valente.
His art songs have been performed by Bethany Beardslee, Karol Bennett, Merja Sargon, Benita Valente, and Dawn Upshaw.
He died on November 19, 1998, of lung cancer at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 78.

Personal life

Kim was married three times, to Nora Philipsborn (in 1947), dancer Mimi Kagan (in 1956), and Martha Potter (in 1977); and he had two daughters.