Dr. Aran Kim is a music director and organist at Waterford Central United Methodist Church. She is also a collaborative pianist in the Oakland University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and plays for the Oakland Chorale, the University Chorus, the Treble Choir, and the Symphony Chorus and is an accompanist to the Gilbert Jackson Chorale. Aran is a member of MDML, an affiliate of the Music Teacher’s National Association, and actively maintains her teaching career as a private piano instructor in her home studio. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Arizona where she studied with Professor Tannis Gibson and served as a graduate teaching assistant to Dr. Lisa Zdechlik.
Born and raised in Dae-jeon, South Korea, Aran’s musical education in the States began at Kilgore College where she won the Anne Dean Turk Piano Concerto Competition and received a full Scholarship. She was unanimously chosen by the music faculty as the winner of the Most Outstanding Music Student Award and graduated with honors.
Aran earned both her Bachelor’s and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance graduating Magna Cum Laude at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where she received numerous scholarships and worked as a full-time teaching/accompanying assistant, studying under the tutelage of the Steinway Artist, Dr. Luis Sanchez.
In 2010, Aran won 2nd place at the Texas Music Teacher’s Association Young Artist Competition in Arlington, TX, and was selected to attend the prestigious Chautauqua Music Festival in Chautauqua, NY, where she was the finalist in the SAI Piano Concerto Competition. She studied with the legendary pianist Rebecca Penneys, for two summers at Chautauqua. In 2011, she won the Annual Concerto Competition at Texas A&M University-Commerce and performed the Grieg Concerto with the Wind Ensemble.
In 2013, Aran was invited as a distinguished alumna at Kilgore College for the Memorial Concert in tribute to Van Cliburn and Anne Dean Turk, and performed Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra.
In 2022, Aran was nominated as an award recipient of Alumni Ambassador at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Also this year, she and her Oakland University colleague Dr. Marina Stojanovska founded the four-hands piano duo Arina Duo and performed two concerts in such venues as the Steinway Piano Gallery Hall, Detroit.
Aran is grateful for her musical career in different venues that God has put before her.