Yeji Kim is a haegeum performer, improviser, composer, and researcher who has cultivated a unique musical world that bridges tradition and modernity. After graduating from university, she joined the Cheongju City Gukak Orchestra (2018–2024) as a permanent member, accumulating nearly seven years of experience in orchestral performance. As a member of the electro-acoustic improvisation trio SaaamKiiim (2019–present), she has been exploring improvisational techniques and methodologies through sound and sensation. Critics from Beats 4 Peeps and New York Music Daily have praised her modern and experimental approach to the unique textures of traditional instruments, particularly the way the diverse sounds of the haegeum seamlessly blend with electronic acoustics.

Driven by her interest in experimental and contemporary sound, Kim has expanded her artistic practice into the realms of performance and sound art, curating and producing sound exhibitions and performances. She continues to create works that highlight the Pal-eum (八音)—the eight materials used in Korean traditional instrument making: metal, stone, silk thread, bamboo, gourd, soil, leather, and wood—with a particular focus on the haegeum, the only traditional Korean instrument that incorporates all eight materials. In one of her major projects, she treats the haegeum as a living body, attaching piezo pickups, akin to a stethoscope, to capture surface vibrations from various parts of the instrument. These sonic sources are then deconstructed, rearranged, and distorted to create an 11-minute audio installation piece titled Particle, Sound, Rhythm (2022).

Yeji Kim collaborates closely with various artistic disciplines, including dance, theater, media art, architectural acoustics and installation art. These collaborations have naturally led her into the field of curating. Her ongoing project Refill & Refeel (2024–present), a performance series aimed at enhancing sensory perception and the dynamism of thought, explores her identity as a Korean and the value of Korean culture. This series organically connects Korean tea, traditional liquor, ceramics, desserts, music, and artists—offering audiences novel sensations and immersive experiences.

Since 2024, Kim has been expanding her international presence, performing at the Barbican Centre (London, UK) and being selected as an artist-in-residence at the Art Omi program (New York, USA). She has also visited Taiwan and Japan, performing at various experimental music venues and collaborating with local artists in improvisational concerts. This year, she is scheduled to perform in Tokyo, Japan (April), Berlin, Germany (July), and Paris and Auvergne, France (July).

Based in Seoul, Yeji Kim actively performs as a soloist across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Recently, she has been focusing on the concept of “soundscape,” as introduced by R. Murray Schafer, exploring expanded modes of listening and auditory perception, audience experience, and performance formats. Within this trajectory, she is currently conceptualizing a new work titled Ear duct-us (2025), while continuing to seek new musical horizons through diverse collaborative projects.

BM, Dankook University, South Korea

MM, Seoul National University, South Korea

A Study on the Acoustic Analysis of Haegeum Nonghyun: Based on Jinyangjo

SaaamKiiim Ma-chal Review of the Album, Beat for peeps, link

SaaamKiiim Ma-chal Review of the Album, Lucid Culture, link

SaaamKiiim Ma-chal Review of the Album, New York Music Daily, link

SaaamKiiim Ma-chal Review of the Album, Jazz Right Now, link

Swingby #33 Free Improvisation, curated by Yeji Kim @MusicSpacegf, Review of the Performance, Hear for you, link

SaaaKiiim Trinity Review of the album, Magazine Y, link

Contact : rkawlrdl3438@gmail.com

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