DUO RESPIRO

Voice Piano Duo

Duo Respiro is a soprano and piano duo, representing Korean Art Songs and other classical vocal repertoires. Soprano Kye-hyun Kim and Pianist Minjung Seo founded in 2016, and made the debut recital in Busan, Korea. In 2017, Duo has been invited to perform in Chicago, IL, Quad City, IA and New York in the United States. The duo won the second prize of New York Golden Classical Music Award and will have a debut recital in Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in March 2017. ​

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Soprano Kye-Hyun Kim has performed in roles, “Norina” in Don Pasguale, “Adina” in L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love), and “Violetta” in La Traviata (The Fallen Woman), as well as premiered new opera, Wuruk (2016) and performed other Korean operas, such as Chun Hyang Jeon. She was the one of the winners of the Korea Music Award in 2017, representing one of the most contributed musicians in Korea. Kim was featured on music magazine, Music of Spring and Fall (2012) as a spotlight musicians, and Victor Japan released her CDs, “Korean Songs” in 4 volumes (2001). Kim has been invited to the Slovakia Festival and performed with Hungarian symphony orchestra and in Korea, performed with a number of major orchestras such as Choong-buk Orchestra, Cheong-joo Orchestra and Choong-chung Philharmonic orchestra. She has taught in Korea National University of Arts and Cheong-joo University. Kim studied in Hochschule für Musik Stuttgart and Korea National University of Arts.

Pianist Minjung Seo is an avid collaborative pianist and chamber musicians as well as a soloist, who was lauded as “…a fine touch and great sensitivity” (Chatham Star Tribune). Her numerous collaborative engagements led to work  with renowned instrumentalists and vocalists, such as Malcolm Martineau, Leonard Hokanson, Frank Huang, Roger Tapping, Paul Katz, Sasha Cooke, Isabel Leonard, and many more.  As a recipient of the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Pianists Award, Seo has participated as a pianist and coach in multiple performances at the most prestigious venues such as Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Harris Concert Hall, KBS Hall and other venues in Korea, Canada and USA. Her live performances have been aired in WDAV 89.1 and WIUW 89.5. She has been invited as a collaborative pianist to Bowdoin International Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Music Academy of the West. She has been on the performance faculty members in North Carolina School of the Arts and Bennett College in North Carolina and currently is working at Western Illinois University.