Biography
Australian organist of Korean heritage, Sarah Kim has built an international career across Europe’s most prestigious concert halls and cathedrals.
Trained at the Sydney Conservatorium and the Paris Conservatoire, she brings to the organ a rare combination of technical mastery, scholarly depth and orchestral vision.
Early Years & Training
Born in Germany, Sarah Kim is an Australian organist of Korean origin, now based in Paris. She began her musical studies in piano and violin at an early age in Cologne, and had her first organ lessons with Miriam Gaydon at the age of eleven in Sydney.
After finishing high school, she studied organ with Philip Swanton at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Music Performance with First Class Honours and the Sydney University Medal. During her studies, Sarah held several organ scholar positions at the University of Sydney, St Paul’s College and St James’ Anglican Church.
Paris Conservatoire & Advanced Studies
Awarded a University of Sydney overseas travelling scholarship, Sarah became the first Australian organist ever accepted into the Cycle de Perfectionnement and Master course at the Paris Conservatoire, where she studied under Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard.
She subsequently pursued further studies with Wolfgang Zerer, Andrea Marcon, Lorenzo Ghielmi and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where she gained a specialised Masters degree in early music.
International Career
Prize-winner of the Sydney, Newcastle and Paris International Organ Competitions, Sarah has performed at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Westminster Abbey, Mont St Michel, the Royal Chapel in Versailles, Stavanger Concert Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Berlin Philharmonie.
She has featured as soloist with the Swedish Baroque Orchestra, the Oxford Band of Instruments and the Bordeaux Orchestra, and has given duo concerts throughout Italy and Paris with her mentor, Jean Guillou. She also plays regularly with the Parisian ensemble Le Balcon and the Orchestre National de France.
She has given masterclasses at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and the Oundle International Summer Academy in the UK.
Current Position
Sarah Kim is currently organist at l’Oratoire du Louvre in Paris, one of the most prestigious organ posts in France.