SeongYeon Kong
With a network of Artist Centres and Ateliers around the world, Yamaha works with leading players to support their performances and develop instrument designs and new ideas for the benefit of all musicians. Yamaha Artists share with us a passion for inspiring the next generation of players, and a belief that everybody should be encouraged to nurture their talent, connect with others and tell their stories through music.
Get to know Yamaha Artist and Percussionist SeongYeon Kong
Statement about your relation with Yamaha or your instrument:
I’ve been using Yamaha 5100 Marimba, since I started to learn Marimba, for 15 years. Not only Yamaha’s Marimba was my favorite for this long time, playing percussion, but also other percussions, including drums and vibraphone. Additionally I have good relation with Yamaha’s keyboard, since I play the keyboard and synthesiser in the church band. Specifically I am nowadays playing on MODX 6!
How does your instrument help you in your daily life as an artist?
It is sometimes of course difficult to work everyday with instrument, practicing and developing myself and my music hardly, as a performer, who has to be on the stage regularly and has to show the best ability everytime. But I also feel huge gratitude everyday that I can create my own music every moments and listen to it. Everyone knows how amazing it is, to be consoled, or to feel great emotions from music as a human. It is even more thriling to experince these feelings through my own instrument and music.
How would you characterise your instrument?
‘Root’ and ‘Possibility’. Percussion is a start, beginning of the music, which helped the ancient people when they needed music during their rites from the very first part of human history. Also, we have huge possibilities as a percussionist on the stage. Everything can be an instrument and we can do everything as a performer, including ex) screaming, running, hitting our body or stone or floor, whatever. Percussion was the very first start of music and now can be the very last potential in the music world.
Who was your most influential teacher and is there any advice which you still follow?
I got influenced very diffrently by every teacher, who taught me. Eunjung Kim from Korea, helped me to start the percussion, to see what music is, and to learn how to sing. Kwangseo Park taught me, how to make the most beautiful sound on marimba and percussions. Eunhye Kim made me see the whole entire music and plan, how I should drive my own music from beginning to the end. Marta Klimasara in Stuttgart taught me incredibly many things, especially to feel the music in my heart and sing freely as much as I can. Klaus Dreher also helped me to think about the very background and basement of not only classical music, but also every different genre of music.
Advice for a young musician:
ENJOY! These days I think that the music is a huge huge present, that we got from the history, or society, or God. It is very complicated situation nowadays to enjoy the music as it originally belongs. But lets just love and enjoy our way of expression and spreading out our energy, love, thoughts to people, who need them!
