Meet Eloise Kim of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eloise Kim.

Eloise, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello! My name is Eloise Kim, and I am a pianist and music educator. As an educator, I am currently a faculty at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, teaching Keyboard Harmony Skills to undergraduates who are pursuing their Bachelor degrees. I am also a piano coach at a terrific online music platform called Tonebase Piano, and teach several private students in Los Angeles. Music has always been an outlet of joy for me. I feel lucky to still get to continuously perform collaboratively with other fantastic musicians in my life, and balance this performance life with teaching. They are truly a blessing.

As a classically trained pianist, I grew up partaking in many serious national and international piano competitions during my pre-college and early college years. This opportunity enabled me to meet fantastic colleagues and musicians whom I am fortunate to call my friends to this day. Preparing for events at that caliber require performing a large amount of high level repertoire under serious pressure. I have to say this experience helped build the grit inside of me to push myself harder each time. I found that this skill also influenced a lot in my teaching and fostering discipline. My philosophy is to be supportive to every student I get to work with but also to encourage them to never give up on the personal goals they set for themselves. My role as a teacher is to help guide the path for that route with patience and understanding–because I know very well how challenging and sometimes scary that road can be. However, there is always a very satisfying sense of accomplishment and courage when you are able to reach your certain goals in life–whether big or small.

The time that enlightened my passion the most is when I started to play chamber music more actively during my early teen years. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, where there was quite a large group of extremely dedicated and fine young musicians. I was fortunate to be selected in the Chamber Music Northwest Young Artists program in Portland, and this enabled me to receive opportunities to perform locally with different chamber groups and also in several masterclasses with renowned musicians. It was truly an inspiring chapter in my life, and I would not be who I am today without this experience of collaborating and learning from my favorite musicians.

I went on to earn my bachelor degree in Piano Performance from The Colburn Conservatory of Music here in Downtown Los Angeles–my Alma mater where I get to teach now! My Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and my Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. I have also had the privilege to perform in incredible venues across the nation including Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and at Aspen, Orford, Banff, and Lake George summer festivals–studying with truly the best musicians and human beings. I hope one day I can tell each of these teachers how much they shaped my life. Especially now that I have more recently stepped seriously into the world and artistry of teaching, I would not be able to share any of the insights I have today without the guidance I received from my former teachers.

Other exciting projects I get to do whenever the opportunity arise is to work with new composers around Los Angeles. I have some very talented friends who compose gorgeous music. You can find some of them in my YouTube channel along with other works from my personal website.

This balance of maintaining a collaborative performer and teacher life has been truly a privilege for me. As a teacher, I do not have the opportunity to express this to my students enough, but I am so lucky to to get to work with some of the most brilliant individuals. Although I have that “teacher” title, I have to admit that I learn a lot from my own students. This art of teaching has taught me about human relationships, the various ways of thinking and approach to challenges, and most importantly: kindness. Getting to work with both musicians and non-musicians who find love and joy through music is one of the most valuable part of my entire life–and frankly, it continues to keep me going despite life challenges.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Certainly not. Navigating the world as a classical musician is never an easy route–but I say that with compassion and positivity. When you find out that you can overcome any kind of hard challenge in your life, it gives you another level of courage that nothing is impossible if you set your mind correctly for it.

Pursuing a career in any art field takes a lot of perseverance, an incredible amount of dedication, and tough skin. Most importantly, you need an undying love and passion in order to sustain yourself in the classical music career. If that undying love and passion is not there, I want to be brutally honest to my readers here and suggest then perhaps, choose another occupation as a career. And that is completely okay. Being a classical musician is not the most stable financial road especially in today’s economy (although of course–this is different for the “superstars”), and there are lots of bumps along the road. However for myself, whenever I recall “why” I chose this career as a musician, it helps reinforce my mind that I would have it no other way.

The biggest personal challenge in my life was when my family went into financial hardship during my childhood years. My father had to make the difficult decision of selling pretty much everything we had: our home, belongings, and my own piano. I was without an instrument to practice at home for a very long time, and this happened simultaneously when my passion took off seriously in music. I was fortunate to still be able to practice in outside facilities with the help of others, and my private teacher at the time was extremely generous and kind to continue giving me lessons at no cost during that full year so I can continue my studies. I will never forget that.

When you reach your lowest moments in life, you start to see the true colors of those around you: both the good and not so good. Every moment of challenge taught me many lessons. When you reach rock bottom, you learn how to survive anything. These times allowed me to learn to be economically wiser. I learned how to be realistic of what I can and cannot do–jump into every opportunity that is offered but also learn your strengths during the process. And when you find your own strength, actively pursue that route with no apologies. Work hard at an obsessive level and give yourself absolutely no excuses.

In order to continue my passion for music, I researched to find every scholarship opportunity that can help me financially. I was very lucky to receive full scholarships in all my educations. The Colburn Conservatory is a full-tuition room and board for students admitted there–so I was extremely fortunate to get to go to college there when frankly, my family would not have been able to afford supporting any form of tuition. During my Master’s, I received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s support that funded $100,000 to my graduate studies. And at USC, I was fortunate again to be selected as one of the graduate teaching assistants which offered a full ride to my studies and a stipend to support living costs. Through this teaching assistantship award, I also got the opportunity to work with wonderful students in my group piano classes, which really sparked a new inspiration inside me on the art of teaching. It was a win-win.

Without these challenges–would I have become the person I am today? Absolutely not. Life has a way of figuring out another path. I know that none of the accomplishments above would have been possible without the hardships I faced. Of course, I am only a human being–so there are some days I wish I never had that experience in my young years. I wish I had more of a childhood, a healthier look to life; then perhaps my life would be different today in a different kind of positive way.

But I do hope anyone who might be reading this knows that if you are facing a challenge: it will not last forever. Life will find a way to figure itself out as long as you keep holding on patiently. Focus on the joyful moments that come into your life that helps you forget the hardships–at least briefly. For me, those joyful moments were always music related and my dog, Tory. Then these small moments eventually gather together to something bigger, and add strength to overcome whatever path you are on.

I know for a fact that I will always face some kind of challenge in my life–big and small. But I feel confident from this experience that I have the toolkit to fight them. Most importantly, I truly love what I do. And that alone is always enough to keep me going.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a performing pianist, chamber musician, and music educator. As mentioned before, I collaborate with a lot of fantastic musicians–both through gigs and also through my community at the Colburn Conservatory. The Colburn Conservatory of Music has truly the finest musicians. I am not just saying that because I went to school there haha–but this is a universal fact in the classical music world. I feel incredibly lucky every time I step into those doors and call it my job. It still feels so amazing that I get to not only collaborate with students and other faculty there, but also to get to teach the Keyboard Harmony class to a group of smart, seriously dedicated, music college students. It really is a dream come true.

I also actively teach throughout the Los Angeles area privately and coach several individuals at this fantastic renowned online platform called Tonebase Piano. I am fortunate to have a deep connection with each one of my students that I get to work with. My private students range from all ages and levels–so I get to learn a lot myself constantly on navigating the best route to help each student at their different stages of life. It is a very special experience to know that you are one of the ‘village members’ of shaping someone’s life path–whether you play a tiny or large role in it.

Every one of my students I get to work with–are truly dedicated. They love music and strive themselves to reach the next level at each opportunity. I take no credit to that because I know very well that yes, it takes encouragement from others but also a large amount of self-will to be consistent in what you do. I am so proud of my students for mastering this skill.

I am not a very social person–there is sort of a workaholic in me that I like to fill in every hour of my day with something to do related to “work.” Perhaps this might not be too healthy but it certainly is mentally stimulating haha. And having responsibilities is a gift. But the downside of this is that there is sometimes an emptiness that lingers around me. But through the people I get to work with, I receive compassion and warmth. And I think that might be part of the reason why I love being in this music field so much.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I would like to continue everything I am doing, but perhaps at a larger scale. I love everything I currently do: collaborating with excellent musicians who inspire me, and maintain a performing and teaching career. The beauty of music is that you never stop learning. I continue to learn through the people I meet–which is a very fortunate and thrilling experience. No immediate plans for this yet, but I would like to eventually create maybe a CD or video album of my performances someday. I am starting a personal goal of recording some small works every summer (when I have the time) and uploading them to my YouTube channel. Eventually, I would like to gather these recordings into an album, and leave something behind before I leave this world. It would be nice to have my music remembered even after I depart–sounds romantic, right? haha :). Some day it will happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.eloisekimpianist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pianotototory0409/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://x.com/EloiseKim409/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eloisekimpianist8425

Image Credits
Misaki Saito Photography: https://misakisaito.mypixieset.com/