The Jin Hi Kim Collection
Out September 18 via Neuma Records / Available on Bandcamp
“This remarkable anthology offers a panoramic view of one of the most innovative, courageous, and visionary artists in contemporary music.” — Frankie Pfeiffer, Paris-Move
Watch: The Jin Hi Kim Collection | Watch: Jin Hi Kim Electric Komungo Solo
Neuma Records will release The Jin Hi Kim Collection on September 18, 2026, a landmark 9-CD, 52-track archive spanning four decades of work by Korean-American composer and komungo virtuoso Jin Hi Kim. Curated by the artist herself and made available free of charge via Bandcamp, the collection is an act of radical generosity — a life’s work offered openly, as Kim has always insisted it should be. A physical 9-CD box set is also available through Bandcamp and Neuma.
At the center of the collection is Kim’s compositional philosophy, Living Tones — a method rooted in Korean Buddhist and Shamanistic aesthetics that treats each note not as a fixed point, but as a living entity with its own shape, texture, vibrato, and dynamic contour. The result, across ten hours of music, is a body of work that is at once deeply personal and radically expansive.
Kim’s career began with rigorous training in Korean traditional music in Seoul. Disillusioned by the Westernization of Korean music and its patriarchal structures, she emigrated to California in 1980, where she studied composition with John Adams, Lou Harrison, Terry Riley, and David Rosenboom. A commission from the Kronos Quartet and collaborations with guitarist Henry Kaiser launched her into the American experimental music scene, setting the stage for a profound synthesis of cultures.
The collection is organized thematically. It opens with the pivotal 1995 “Living Tones Concert,” commissioned to promote healing in Los Angeles following the Rodney King riots. Subsequent volumes document Kim’s orchestral works — including her Carnegie Hall debut in 2001 performing Eternal Rock, her first orchestral piece — alongside her Nori series (trance-inducing percussion works that translate Korean rhythmic cycles for Western ensembles) and pioneering interactive pieces for electric komungo with custom sensors and Max/MSP. A final section focuses on komungo improvisations with titans of free music and jazz, including Derek Bailey, Bill Frisell, Hans Reichel, Elliott Sharp, Oliver Lake, William Parker, and Gerry Hemingway, recorded at festivals in Berlin and in intimate settings in New York.
“This collection represents a life’s journey of discovering that true influence is never imitation, but a deep immersion that allows new musical expression to be born. I am grateful to Wesleyan University for archiving this work and ensuring that the philosophy of Living Tones — where each sound is alive with its own spirit and history — can continue to inspire. These recordings are not commercial products, but an educational archive meant to be shared.”
— Jin Hi Kim
“A musical philosopher and radiator of electricity.” — Grammy.com
“Promises thoughtful, shimmering East-West amalgams in combinations that are both new and unlikely to be repeated.” — Peter Watrous, The New York Times
Tracklist
Living Tones Compositions
- Nong Rock (1992)
- Tchong (1995)
- Yoeum (1995)
- Piri Quartet (1993)
- Eternal Rock (2001)
- Monk Dance (2007)
- One Sky (2005)
- Eternal Rock II (2006)
- Nori III (2009)
- Nori II (2008)
- Nori (2002)
- Refracted Confluence (1991)
- Tilings (2013)
- Garden of Venus (1999)
- Kee Maek III (1988)
- X5 for Solo Flute (1985)
- Linking (1986)
- Kee Maek (1986)
- Su-Wol-Yong-Yul (1985)
- Ritual for Earth (2024)
Komungo Improvisations
- Saturn’s Rings (2001)
- Pale Blue Dot (2010)
- Dancing in the Deep Sea (1999)
- Circle of Time (2024)
- Joy of Flying (2024)
Tracks 26–52: see the complete tracklist at neumarecords.org.
About Jin Hi Kim
Jin Hi Kim is a Guggenheim Fellow, United States Artists Fellow, and recipient of numerous prestigious awards. A composer and innovative komungo virtuoso, she has performed her work worldwide at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Berlin Free Music Festival. Kim bridges ancient Korean roots with contemporary American culture, pioneering the introduction of the 4th-century komungo to the international music scene. Through her compositional method Living Tones, she has created cross-cultural works performed with the Kronos Quartet, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Over four decades, she has developed the world’s only electric komungo with live interactive computer programming. Jin Hi Kim is Assistant Professor of the Practice in Music at Wesleyan University, where her archive is housed. The Jin Hi Kim Collection features extensive liner notes drawn from her memoir, Duality of Ancient Korean Roots and Western New Music.
Connect
Jin Hi Kim: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Neuma Records: Website | Facebook
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