2026 Adjudicators

Dr. Yoomi Kim is an accomplished pianist, conductor, and composer whose career bridges performance, education, and musical leadership. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music, where she also completed a Master of Music in Conducting with a choral emphasis and a cognate in Composition. At Cincinnati, she studied composition with Dr. Joel Hoffman and piano under Professors Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff. Dr. Kim earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Université de Montréal under Professor Marc Durand, and her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Dr. Robert McDonald. Her conducting mentors include Dr. Earl Rivers and Dr. Stephen Coker.

Dr. Kim has been invited to several international orchestral conducting masterclasses, studying with Maestro Ed Spanjaard and Maestro Kenneth Kiesler, and has had the opportunity to conduct the Berlin Sinfonietta and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra MAV.

As Music Director at Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific, Dr. Kim conducted choirs and chamber ensembles, taught IB Music, led group piano classes, and composed and arranged original works for student performances. She currently serves on the Piano Faculty at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and maintains an active collaborative career with musicians throughout the region. She has also taught piano at the University of Victoria.

Dr. Kim is honoured to serve as an adjudicator for the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals and looks forward to hearing and encouraging the next generation of musicians.