Wonkak Kim

Wonkak Kim is Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where he has been teaching since 2017. Prior to his appointment at UO, Kim served as Associate Professor of Clarinet at Tennessee Tech University (2012-2017). He is a founding member of enhakē, the clarinet-violin-cello-piano quartet, which is in its 12th season and has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall and Seoul Arts Center.

His educational background includes:

• DMA 2012, Florida State University
• MM 2009, Florida State University
• BMus and BA Mathematics 2007, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Kim's performance career spans international stages throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. He has been praised for his 'excellent breath control' (The Washington Post) and 'exuberant musicianship' (Fanfare). His discography includes critically acclaimed albums such as 'Gulfstream,' which received 'Music US Choice' (BBC Music Magazine), 'Recording of the Month' (MusicWeb International), and American Record Guide Critic's Choice. Kim was the first Korean clarinetist to perform Mozart's Clarinet Concerto on basset clarinet in a nationally broadcasted concert in South Korea.

His scholarly activities focus on intercultural collaborations between Korean traditional music and contemporary classical music. Since 2019, Kim has commissioned over a dozen new works for clarinet by Korean composers and presented them at various international stages. His recent projects include ongoing commissions from Juri Seo, Eunseon Yu, Caroline Kyunga Ahn, and Jiyoung Chung.

Kim has received numerous faculty awards, including the Presidential Fellowship in Humanistic Studies (2020), UO Faculty Research Award (2021), and UO College of Arts and Science Summer Stipend (2019). His teaching philosophy emphasizes fundamentals, etudes, and repertoire development, with a structured approach to student development.

He regularly presents lectures at over 150 conferences, seminars, and universities, including Harvard and Princeton. Kim is also a College Music Society Ambassador to Korea and frequently serves as a guest professor in Korean universities and conservatories. He is a Buffet Crampon, Silverstein, and Vandoren Performing Artist and plays exclusively on Buffet Tosca Clarinet and Vandoren products.