My Swat Story: Andrew Kim ’18

He Came to Music Late

Andrew Kim ’18 is in graduate school at Ithaca College studying orchestral conducting. Unlike most music majors, his interest in music did not come until high school. He cites a specific memory, singing Mozart’s Requiem toward the end of high school, as the first moving experience he’d had with music. “That moment really captured my interest in music and got me to understand its power,” he says.

He Gained Hands-On Experience

Kim knew he wanted to study conducting in college. “I found the role of getting everyone together to make music appealing,” he says. While at Swarthmore, Kim performed numerous concerts with the College’s choral and orchestral ensembles. He was heavily involved in the Lab Orchestra, which was created in response to the demand for experience opportunities for student conductors. With the Lab Orchestra, he conducted both on campus and with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Swarthmore’s Size Helped Him Grow 

Kim describes his experiences at Swarthmore as invaluable in shaping his musical career. “I think studying music would have been impossible anywhere else because I just wouldn’t have had the preliminary qualifications to go to a music school, so I’m very grateful to have found a place where I could get started,” he says.

“Being in a small department has been really advantageous for me because I had a ton of time with lecturer Andrew Hauze ’04 and Associate in Performance Joe Gregorio. And I think the connection that I’ve had with my professors is a unique thing to a liberal arts college. I’ve probably spent more time with Andrew Hauze than some of my closest friends,” Kim jokes.

More seriously, he notes, “I think that’s really special. I’m so grateful for the support, and it’s been a blessing working with so many talented professors and musicians.”