The Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker (Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic) has selected Hyejin Kim as its harpist for the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 seasons. “It’s a great honor to become a new academician of the Karajan-Akademie der Berliner Philharmoniker,” Kim says. “As academicians, we have the opportunity to play with the Berliner Philharmoniker for two years. We also receive lessons from our mentors who are members of the orchestra; [my mentor is Berlin Philharmonic principal harpist] Marie-Pierre Langlamet… As it’s such a valuable experience and opportunity that I only have during these two years, I hope I’ll be able to take advantage of everything over the next two years.”
Kim says she is enjoying this season’s repertoire as she gains experience as an orchestral performer. “I started the academy at the beginning of September and we’ve already played works by Smetana, Schönberg, Pierné, and Ravel. Every week, the program and the conductor change,” she says. “There are a lot of French works, like those by Ravel, where you can hear the harp playing, and the harp has an important role, even in the second harp part. I feel I’m already learning a lot by playing with [the Berlin Philharmonic] and with Marie-Pierre Langlamet.”
Born in Seoul (South Korea), Kim holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon in the class of Fabrice Pierre, Sylvain Blassel, and Park Stickney. She is currently pursuing her second master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin in the class of Sivan Magen.
Kim recently won third prize at the 12th USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Ind. In 2023, she was selected as a Rising Star by the Kumho Cultural Foundation and gave her solo recital at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei which was broadcast on the classical radio in Korea. She has collaborated with orchestras such as l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, l’Opéra National de Lyon, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and Seoul International Music Festival Orchestra. At age 7, she made her soloist debut performing Handel’s Concerto for Harp in B flat Major with the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Christopher Lee.
