Songyeon
Catarina
Kim

Songyeon Catarina Kim is a Korean pianist based in Berlin, specializing in Lied, opera, and vocal collaboration. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and Master’s degree in Accompaniment from Kyung Hee University in Seoul before continuing her studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, where she completed a Master’s degree in Liedgestaltung with Prof. Wolfram Rieger and subsequently earned the Konzertexamen in Chamber Music.

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​As a collaborative pianist, Kim has worked in masterclasses with distinguished artists including KS Thomas Quasthoff and KS Brigitte Fassbaender. At the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, she collaborated extensively with the voice classes of Prof. Anna Korondi, Prof. Ewa Wolak, Prof. Christine Schäfer, Prof. Uta Priew, Prof. Roman Trekel, and Prof. Britta Schwarz, as well as in stage training with Prof. Mara Kurotschka. She also appeared regularly in the Excellence Concerts under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim and at the Chamber Music Festival of the university’s Chamber Music Center.

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Her engagements as a pianist and répétiteur have taken her to leading opera houses, theatres, festivals, and ensembles, including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Theater Erfurt, the Immling Festival, Berliner Konzert Chor, and Philharmonischer Chor Berlin. Before moving to Germany, Kim taught at Daegun High School and held a teaching position at the Korea National University of Arts. She also served as pianist of the Catholic Youth Choir Magnificat. Her awards include the Special Prize for Pianists at the Asia Choir Competition, as well as first prizes and distinctions at the Universal Music Competition, the National Competition of the Korean Music Education Association, and the Kyongin Ilbo Competition.

As a soloist, Kim has performed with the Seoul Youth Orchestra and, after winning its concerto competition, was invited to appear in the Young Artists concert series presented by the Korean newspaper Kukmin Ilbo.

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She is currently pianist of the Berliner Konzert Chor and serves as a lecturer in vocal and opera coaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig and the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar.