Sunjae Kang

Dr. Sunjae Kang has always been grateful for her active career as a solo recitalist, chamber music collaborator, and orchestral player. She has performed in and appeared at a wide variety of venues and festivals throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia.

Dr. Kang’s passion for music has led her to participate in solo and chamber music master classes, including the International Summer Music Academy in Neuss, the International Classical Music Festival in Böhlen, Musiktage Merzig in Merzig, the International Chamber Music Course of Thüring’s Summer Academy in Allgäu, Germany, the International Summer Academy in Lenk, Switzerland, and the Scuola Internazionale di Perfezionamento Musicale in Bobbio, Italy, to name a few. She has captivated audiences with her heartfelt performances and was invited to perform in the final recitals of all of these master classes.

Her career as an orchestral performer began with the Korean Symphony Orchestra when she was a sophomore at the Korea National University of Arts. It later expanded to include the Mülheimer Orchestra, the Rosenheim String Orchestra, and the Riegelsberg String Orchestra in Germany. She also performed as a substitute with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Slee Sinfonietta in New York, USA.

Sunjae was blessed with excellent instructors, beginning with Changsoo Yi, who was principal clarinetist of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra and the Korean Symphony Orchestra. She attended the Korea National University of Arts, where she studied with Gwangho Oh, principal clarinetist of the Staatsorchester Braunschweig in Germany, who performed on the German-system clarinet. At the same time, she also studied with Vladimir Sokolov, a Merited Artist of the Russian Federation, who played the Boehm clarinet. Consequently, she was able to immerse herself in a completely different yet incomparable body of musical knowledge, almost without realizing it.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Korea, she was accepted as the first Korean student of Professor Eduard Brunner at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Germany. Not only was he a professor with great musical ideas and skills, but he also offered excellent teaching methods in modern music and chamber music. Because music was inseparable from his daily life, simply listening to his stories provided Sunjae with an abundance of musical inspiration and direction.

After receiving her master’s degree in Germany, she began teaching at universities in Korea. However, she longed for a different musical world and eventually pursued a second master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, USA, where she studied with Professors Kenneth Grant and Robert DiLutis. Robert DiLutis, in particular, not only provided excellent instruction as a talented soloist with a beautiful sound, but also broadened her perspective on clarinet ensemble performance.

Sunjae Kang received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Illinois, USA. Her research focused on clarinet music composed by world-renowned contemporary Korean composers, exploring the historical background of Korean rhythms and modes. Her dissertation, titled “Sound of Line: Korean Clarinet Music Based on Traditional Korean Musical Style – A Practical Guide to Selected Works,” reflects this emphasis. She studied with Professor J. David Harris, whom she respects for his sound, technique, and personality, all of which support his outstanding musicality.

With the guidance and support of all these professors, Sunjae has been invited to perform in many places in recognition of her musicality and skill, including the 70th Anniversary of the Korean Society of Hong Kong, the National Foundation Day of Korea Commemoration Concert at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Chicago, and a fundraising concert for the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Germany, to name a few. Dr. Kang has also successfully taught students at universities and in private studios, hoping to pass on the teaching and life lessons of all the professors she studied under. She was additionally invited to teach solo and chamber music at the Xiamen University Affiliated Music School in China.

In recognition of Sunjae’s passion for modern music, she premiered Professor Teo Brandmüller’s Drei Engel für Scelsi for three clarinets and organ and recorded it at Saarbrücken Radio Station in Germany.

In addition, Dr. Sunjae Kang broadened her musical perspective by selecting jazz performance as her cognate area during her doctoral studies, and she continues to challenge herself by exploring diverse musical genres. She strives to perform music not only for herself but for all listeners and to cultivate future generations of musicians who share this vision.

As part of this effort, Dr. Kang founded Studio Bârâ’ in South Korea, a classical music company, in September 2025 together with violinist Yuri Kang, violist Chanmi Na, and pianists Seojin Yoo and Sun Young Lee. They are actively engaged in performing solo and chamber concerts as well as in teaching.