Daehoon Kim, born in Busan (South Korea), grew up in a family of opera singers, naturally developing into a musician. He began learning the saxophone under the guidance of Dae-woo Kim. After studying with Yeonjeong Lee at Chung-Ang University, he pursued further studies in Belgium. At the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, he was selected for Vincent David’s class and obtained his master’s degree, while also having studied with Alain Crépin and Pieter Pellens.
He has participated in numerous master classes with renowned musicians such as Arno Bornkamp, Timothy McAllister, Nobuya Sugawa, Philippe Geiss, Francisco Martinez, Julien David Petit, Nikita Zimin, Amit Dubester and Yo Matsushita.
Daehoon Kim has won first prize in several prestigious competitions, including the National Music University Symphonic Band Competition, Music Education Newspaper Competition, Seoul Royal Symphony Orchestra Competition, and North International Music Competition in Sweden. Selected as one of the 43rd Kumho Young Artists, sponsored by the Kumho Cultural Foundation, he made his debut at Kumho Art Hall.
After returning to Korea, he was recognized as a Busan musician at the 2021 Busan MARU International Music Festival. In 2022, he began his career as a soloist with a recital at Seoul Kumho Art Hall Yonsei and Busan Geumjeong Cultural Center. Since then, he has actively performed with ensembles such as the Anyang Civic Choir, InKorean Symphony Orchestra, Boryeong Civic Choir, Pohang Civic Choir, and the Navy Band and many others.
As a soloist, he has appeared in invitational and featured performances at major venues across Korea, including the Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Busan Cultural Center, Ulsan Cultural Center, Pohang Cultural Center and Elim Art Center in Incheon, engaging with audiences nationwide. His musical presence has also expanded internationally in 2024 with recitals at venues such as the Shandong Concert Hall in China.
He is also a soprano saxophonist with the Oneway Saxophone Ensemble and actively works to expand the boundaries of saxophone chamber music.
Beyond performing, Daehoon Kim is committed to educating the next generation of musicians. He was invited to give a master class at Shandong University of Arts in China and currently lectures at Chung-Ang University, Keimyung University, and Changwon National University.
Photo credit: Song
