The KAIAC/KIMEA National Honor Festival (NHF), held at Chadwick on Jan. 25, brought together talented student musicians from various international schools across Korea to rehearse alongside renowned music educators and perform in front of their peers. The audition process for the festival spanned several months and concluded with a two-day event with rehearsals and a final performance.
The audition pieces for the festival were given to the students at the beginning of the school year. Auditions were conducted in September through multiple rounds of video submissions, each carefully evaluated by the ensemble teacher. The finalized roster of orchestra members was announced in late November, giving participants multiple months to practice before the festival. Throughout the remaining time until the festival, students practiced rigorously, using their free periods to improve their performance.
“It was my first time trying out for NHF, and I realized how much of a demanding experience it was,” Kevin Kim (10), NHF participant, said. “You have to put in a lot of effort and dedication, but it all paid off in the end.”
The first day of the festival was organized as a workshop, where students were guided by special guest conductor Robert Gillespie in full ensemble rehearsals. Gillespie contributed to the publication of the Essential Technique for Strings series, which is widely used in string education. These rehearsals focused on refining the orchestra’s technical and musical elements of the pieces.
“I think the workshop was a very helpful experience,” Sian Park (10), ensemble member, said. “Getting to work with a professional and someone that many people that play music are familiar with helped us learn about the piece directly and connect more with the music.”
On the final day of the festival, the students performed “Fiddle-Faddle” by Leroy Anderson, “Hoe Down” by Aaron Copland, “Variations on a Theme” by Girolamo Frescobaldi, rearranged by Alexandre Tansman, and “On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss” by David R. Holsinger.
“After much preparation and dedication over the past few weeks from the students,” Julia Kim, SIS strings teacher, said. “I believe that we are ready to showcase our hard work and passion through our performances.”
The KAIAC/KIMEA NHF not only demonstrated SIS students’ dedication and talent, but also emphasized collaboration amongst young musicians throughout the months of preparation. The event was a rewarding moment for all, resulting in a memorable performance that heavily contributed to the festival’s success.
