James Yongjae Kim is the Music Director and Conductor of the Los Angeles Sinfonietta and also has been the Music Director and Conductor for the Moments of Music Foundation’s Derek H.Jones, MD Concerto Competition for the past six years. He is regarded as a leader who motivates and captivates his audience by communicating with an artistic vision and interpretation.
Kim is a past winner of the ICWC International Conducting Competition in Atlanta in 2015.
He is also winner of the 2018 Pierre Monteux Grand Prize of the Smoky Mountain International Conducting Competition in North Carolina.
He received his BA degree from the Korea National University of Arts, and continued his studies at the famous Gnessin Academy of Music in Russia under the guidance of Avangard Fedotov and Volkov Mikolay, where he received a performance certificate. He also studied at WMU, where he received an MA in Music degree in Choral and Orchestra Conducting under Dr.Imsang Yoon.
Maestro Kim has had additional training with Mark Shapiro at The JuiIliard School in Orchestra Conducting Courses and Stephen Gothold in his doctoral program, Vakh Jongwhi – Music Director and Conductor of Asuncion Paraguay, and with Donald Neuen, a former Distinguished Professor of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at UCLA, Adrian Gnam, Dr. Gregory Pritchard, Robert Gutter and Dwight Oltman.
James Yongjae Kim has served as a Professor of Conducting at California Arts University and is the Music Director of Hayfield Conservatory of Music.He has guest conducted the Gwinnett Symphony Chamber Orchestra,WMU Chamber Orchestra, Dosan Philharmonic Orchestra, SMIC Chamber Orchestra. He was also invited to conduct and perform at the International Festival of Orchestras 2013 in Paraguay and Orquesta Sinfonica del Chaco in Argentina where he led as a first Korean.
He was a Music Director and Conductor for the Peace Concert presented by KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) America in 2015.
Maestro Kim has been playing more than thirty times of concert series yearly for communities and received Gold of President Award from President Barack Obama and numerous Awards from Assembly, City Councilor and Mayor.
