ABOUT
ABOUT
Photo by Marco Borggreve
“Brilliant playing ... intuitive musicianship”
– Classic FM
Ingo Harden (FonoForum, September 2020) praised Klara Min's first Schumann album on Hanssler Classic as "... one of the richest, most beautiful (and most beautiful in sound) Schumann interpretations in a long time".
A native of South Korea, Ms. Min has performed extensively throughout North and South America, Europe as well as South Korea, in some of the world’s most important concert venues including Wigmore Hall London, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall, Gasteig Munich, Berlin Philharmonie Hall, Konzerthhaus Berlin, Laeiszhalle, Salle Cortot Paris, Konzerthaus Vienna, and Lotte Concert Hall and KBS Broadcast Hall in South Korea.
She has performed with prestigious orchestras such as Moscow Radio Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Hamburger Kammerphilharmonie, Munich Kammerphilharmonie, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, American Chamber Orchestra and St. Petersburg State Symphony among others under the baton of conductors such as Vladimir Fedoseyev, Ken Masur and Gabor Takacs-Nagy.
In the past season, she has toured South America with Orquesta Sinfonica de Salta in Argentina and in Chile and has collaborated with a French composer Jean-Frederic Neuburger premiering the composer’s works at various venues.
In the 2021/2022 season, Klara Min will play the opening concert of the Cziffra Festival in Budapest, a performance of Mozart K466 with the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, and a Schumann recital with the Fantasy op. 17 and Sonata No. 1 at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the program she will record for the second album of Schumann on Hänssler Classic. As a soloist with orchestras, she will be performing with the Sinfonia Varsovia in Warsaw under the baton of Jacek Kaspszyk, Manchester Camerata in UK with Gabor Takacs-Nagy and Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka, Japan with Augustin Dumay whom she will also collaborate for recitals in Europe, Korea and Japan as a violist.
In addition to the current Schumann albums with Hänssler, her discography includes a NAXOS recording of works by Korean composers, an album of Chopin Mazurkas for Delos label, from which she was selected as one of six critics’ choices on American Record Guide, and two recordings on Steinway & Sons label, of works by Scriabin, Mozart and Messiaen on which Gramophone magazine raved her Scriabin. Her recording of Chopin's First Piano Concerto with the Sinfonia Varsovia will be released in 2023 on Sony Classical.
Klara Min's strong connection to Robert Schumann is not only reflected in her musical programs, but also inspired her to found the artistic group organization in New York. Respected as a thought-leader in music industry, Ms. Min is the founder and artistic director of New York Concert Artists and Associates (NYCA). NYCA serves as a networking organization for musicians to collaborate and create dynamic partnerships with managers, presenters, and other artists. NYCA presents annual international music festival & academy ClassicalBridge, where she services as an artistic director.
Klara Min is a Steinway Artist and a former recipient of Samsung scholarship. She divides her residence in Paris and New York.
NYCA
NYCA
Klara believes in discovering gifted young musicians all over the world, and promoting and helping them to find their paths in the classical music world. Dedicated to the motivation, Klara serves as the artistic director of NYCA.
I like the words ‘synergy’ and ‘empathy’, and probably these two words were in my mind when I first thought about founding the New York Concert Artists & Associates (NYCA) in 2008. I have been a Schumann-fanatic for many years and I admire his idea of Davidsbund (Alliance of David), a spiritual fraternity of creative minds. He gathered musicians around him as collaborators, and this circle of artists shared their opinions and stood against ignorance and arrogance.
NYCA is modeled after Davidsbund in its belief that the ultimate artistic decisions in all situations must be made by the artists themselves. These days, many artists are likely to be the puppet of popular demands, unable to follow wholly paths of artistic integrity or originality. Perhaps they are not sure of who they are and what they want, or more likely they are unclear about how to use the resources around them to further their careers - even with all the tools available to them in this fast growing information-technology world.
Most artists are naïve in practical aspects and socially introvert, absorbed in their own world of music. They feel self-sufficient managing their own world, which in many cases does not give them enough reason to be zealous about communicating with the ‘outside’ world. Pianists particularly are more prone to be isolated, practising all by themselves with that mini-orchestra, the piano.
So it dawned on me that we pianists need a platform, a safe ground where our voices are heard, where we can share artistic ideas with colleagues and grow together, and where we can exhibit our innovative projects, therefore enabling us to find bridges to the public.
All members of NYCA are musical colleagues and each is able to exercise leadership within the group. We are open to newcomers and our obligations are based on mutual respect rather than a legal bond. We hold regular meetings to articulate our ideas, discuss our concerts and projects, decide do's and don't's, and help one another with whatever resources we have available. All members are encouraged to be as proactive as possible and the NYCA as an organisation makes it a priority to create dynamic partnerships among musicians, managers and presenters. We have our own publicity department, which invites press/media and the general public to all our concerts, annual series and events in New York City. We also collaborate with other musicians, composers and organisations to build creative projects together. Throughout the whole process, from the idea to the realisation of this ‘synergy’, NYCA adheres to artistic integrity in all decision-making.
‘Empathy’ might be one of the most important words for musicians. As we play for an individual, or for a large audience, we artists seek the listeners’ empathy in the sharing of music. But then audiences vary greatly from the emotional child to the great philosopher and it is our duty as artists to educate the audience as well. We cannot succumb to popular demands: if you keep giving candies to the crying child, then at last the child will have rotten teeth! We have to find a common ground where we remain true to ourselves and yet are receptive to today’s audience. Real communication occurs when one’s truth is spoken without the veil of fear, and I believe as human beings we all have a natural longing to connect to one another.
In music, by renewing the ideals of artists, as envisioned by artists, and by finding true communication, NYCA believes that artists take the first step - a firm one - on their career path, and contribute to society at large. NYCA is a platform and a stepping-stone for all artists who have dreams.
Klara Min, Artistic Director/Founder
ON STAGE
ON STAGE
