A native of South Korea, Hyugrai “Ray” Kim was the First Prize winner in the Korean Music Concours and Third Prize winner in the Pho-Ne Classic Competition in Korea. Kim made his debut with the Seoul Royal Symphony Orchestra at the Young-San Art Hall in 2004 playing Haydn’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C Major. His festival appearances include Pacific Music Festival, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Caroga Lake Music Festival, Austin Camerata, and Festival Mozaic, among others. Kim holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (BM), the Eastman School of Music (MM), and the Butler School of Music (DMA). During his time at Eastman and UT, Kim served as a teaching assistant to Steven Doane and Bion Tsang, respectively. In 2020, Kim was offered the position of Assistant Principal Cello in the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, but due to the COVID pandemic, chose to return to Korea to fulfill his military service. Kim is now back in Austin teaching a full piano studio.
Hyugrai “Ray” Kim
