A bustling cultural haven rests in the Bay Area. A Korean concert pianist named Hye Yoon Kim, feverishly strokes the ebony and ivory keys to the point where her fingers begin to blur. Nestled in the majestic hills on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks, young, award-winning pianists and opera singers from the San Francisco International Summer Music Festival, ranging from soprano to baritone, display their skills in an exclusive concert at a resident’s home.
The Northern California Cultural Arts Center sponsors international and local talent. Every year, NCCAC gather classical music lovers to celebrate timeless music. It all began with a woman named Young Sook Kim, who once dreamt of being a singer but was inflicted with thyroid cancer, robbing her of her beautiful singing voice. However, she refocused her dreams towards building a non-profit arts organization where Korean-Americans could unite, appreciate and understand European classical and Korean folk music.
Her story began with the ambition to sing. In stark contrast to her occupation in Korea as a clerk at Dong-ah Broadcasting System, she moved to the United States in 1983. Kim auditioned for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music at the age of 27. Even without the command of the English language, she earned a bachelors and masters degree in voice.
Tragedy struck when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that impaired the use of her vocal cords for one year. "Every passing day without a voice felt like years" said Kim. During this period, Young Sook Kim said she exerted her energies by meditating on how she would continue her career in the arts.
Partnering with another Korean-American pianist named Ran Kim, Young Sook Kim whose speaking voice remained intact, met with her instructors and proposed that she unify the artistic community through programs and sponsorships for young aspiring singers and musicians.
Kim did not gamble with a potential relapse with cancer. Instead, she developed friendships and relationships with students, instructors, and the Korean community. Through her efforts, she was able to attract top instructors in voice, piano and violin from all over the country. NCMACC sponsored instructors such as Choong-Mo Kang (piano) who has played for both Moscow and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Grunberg (voice) who is one of the world’s most sought after opera coaches, and Wendy Hillhouse (voice) who has performed for the Metropolitan Opera among others. The caliber of instructors brings an equally generous serving of young talent. This year, NCMACC sponsored one student from Hong Kong, one from Taiwan, one Yugoslavian, three Americans, four Korean-Americans, and seven Koreans. All students performed in Palace of Legion of Honors July 24-August 9, 2000.
Currently, Kim runs five programs simultaneously with a group of seventeen board of directors and five councils. The program includes the following: The Studio program that focuses all music instruments; The Korean-American Performing Arts Society, a program where Korean-American musicians conduct "Our Concert" every year; International Summer Music Festival that conducts the "Bach Dancing Dynamite Society"; Children’s Chorus, an after-school piano and art classes sponsored by the Mayor’s office; Youth Development, a program to develop inter-cultural group activity. Both Korean and European music is part of the curriculum. Traditional Korean song and dance called Moon Hwa Goo consists of 20% of the program in addition to classical European instruments such as the cello and violin.
I think music is extremely important in developing character. It’s like language. It can not be learned quickly. It takes time. My students are more well-rounded and disciplined. I’ve had only positive responses from their parents," said Kim.
After seventeen years in music, Young Sook Kim feels both happy and empowered to give back to the community. "As a 1.2 generation Korean-American, I feel I have more time and freedom to choose to remain single and progress the program," said Kim. Although Kim admits Korean women living in Korea are pressured by family to get married, she does not feel like it is a problem in America. I have chosen this life and this is one of the happiest I’ve ever been."
I believe my accomplishments are 99% hard work and 1% God" says Young Sook Kim. She does not believe she’s successful but still struggles to gain funding for her programs. I take things step by step. I visualize the first thing I need to do and accomplish that. Then, I move to the next step."
Kim would like to create programs where the students can completely focus on their music. Because the programs can only fund half of the student’s tuition while the other half comes from parental donations, voice student Sung Wan Cho is forced to work in a sushi restaurant when he is not studying. According to Ji Yon Son, a voice major at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, immersing herself with the arts and not medicine or business is a risk because of the financial instability of her future.
Young Sook Kim still foresees much growth in the non-profit arts community. Her methods of coordinating the Northern California Music and Art Culture Center have allowed the program to blossom since its birth nine years ago. A once aspiring concert singer turned NCMACC founder sees her destiny in helping those who desire to be the best. "If I believe I’m the best at piano, I will be," said award-winning pianist Hye Yoon Kim.
I think the students have a lot to offer. This is a wonderful city for music and I want to educate Korean people with the classical music program. In Korea, music has always been a part of preserving the culture. I want to continue that tradition."
San Francisco, home of the Opera House and Symphony, a mecca for cultural events, offers young disciplined talent studying in the west coast. Tenacious women like Young Sook Kim coordinate programs and concerts that bear much fruit by allowing the serious musician or singer a podium to perform with the best. Kim smiles and says, I would still like to do more." Behind her smile lies a spirit that dreams, works, and lives vicariously through her students’ musical talent.


Visual Communications Presents Youth Animation/Media Arts Program

Visual Communications, the nations oldest Asian Pacific American media arts organization, is offering a motion graphics and animation class, and a flash animation for web design class as part of their Frame by Frame youth animation/media arts program.
This program is designed for students between the ages l3-2l. Classes will start Oct. 8, at the Visual Communications Media Center in Little Tokyo.
The motion graphics and animation course introduces the various methods employed in creating the graphic film/video. Participants are encouraged to learn through a series of exercises, the techniques used in five different styles of animation including traditional figurative animation, direct manipulation (scratch and paint on film), Kinestasis (cut and paste), object manipulation, and reprocessing the image.
The flash animation for web design course will teach the basic technical skills to animate and apply basic interactivity for web application.
Besides the technical skills there will also be a focus on content development. The class will start with flash 2D animation. They will also move onto interactivity and how these skills can be applied to web sites and other applications.
The program is l0 weeks long, and is limited to 8 students per class. Tuition is $l50 per class ($l25 for members of Friends of Visual Communications). A limited number of scholarships are available depending on financial need.
Visual Communications is a non-profit media arts center dedicated to preserving, creating and presenting Asian Pacific American history and culture through the media arts.
Founded in l970, the organization, through its numerous film, video, and community multi-media productions, and through its various screening activities, photographic exhibits and publications, has pioneered many vital developments in the national media arts arena.

For more information call: (2l3) 680-4462