ANDERSON — It all began at a piano competition, when Anderson University’s Randall Frieling and Indiana Wesleyan’s Phoenix Park-Kim were serving as judges.
During their two days at the Hartman Stickley Memorial Piano Competition in South Bend, the two pianists tossed around the idea of performing together. That’s exactly what will happen Thursday night in the Fine Arts Building on the AU campus.
“It should be really fun,” said Frieling by phone from Ohio.
“She’s an aggressive performer, and I like that. ... We have very pianissimo places and very loud, fortissimo places. We both match that way, I think.
“And we get along, so it’s nice to work with someone that you don’t have to fight over every phrase.”
Park-Kim agreed with Frieling, to a point.
“Actually, Randy suggested a program first,” she said. “And then I went through them and realized that they were all like his personality. A lot of the pieces were very rhythmic and happy, boisterous, you know, full of sound.
“With my personality, there was a little bit of conflict. I wanted to do a little more delicate and pretty pieces as well, not so percussive and loud.”
Park-Kim, laughing, said she proposed the Mozart and Saint-Saëns, as she felt they were “very different from the other pieces. They’re a bit more pleasant, more melodic, soothing and peaceful.”
Park-Kim, who has been with IWU for five years, was born in South Korea and began performing publicly at 7. Since then, the 36-year-old has performed in the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Russia and in her homeland.
Park-Kim, who met her husband while earning a master’s at Miami University of Ohio, went onto to a doctorate at the University of Missouri at Kansas City’s Conservatory.
The job at IWU is her first.
“The people are very friendly,” she said of her new Hoosier location. “And I’m amazed that every small city has its own orchestra, like Anderson and Marion.
“I used to live in Kansas City, which is a lot more urban. And there are pros and cons, but here, my neighbor, for example, mows my lawn when I’m out of town. I never had that kind of closeness with my neighbors in Kansas City. I love it here.”
Contact Rodney Richey, 640-4861, rodney.richey@heraldbulletin.com.
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Pianist Phoenix rising at Anderson University
Korean-born pianist to accompany Friedling
- Local News
-
-
Anderson man dies at Monroe Reservoir; 3 others arrested
Memorial Day weekend took a tragic turn Saturday evening as an Anderson man visiting Monroe Reservoir died. Three other Anderson men were arrested later that day following the death of Matthew Hosier, 29.
-
Getting Together: Silence not golden for this library program
Certain rules govern almost all libraries: be quiet, don’t mar the pages and absolutely no food or drinks on the premises. But a small group of patrons wait until after hours, lock themselves in the back room of the Alexandria-Monroe Public Library, eat popcorn, drink soda and loudly scoff as they watch bad movies.
-
Veteran receiving Bronze Star 68 years late
An Army veteran will be awarded a Bronze Star on Memorial Day — 68 years after he was originally supposed to receive it.
-
Memorial Day activities set
For Memorial Day weekend, here’s a list of activities to participate in.
-
Arrest Log: May 28
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Saturday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
- Conservation officers arrest Anderson boater on alcohol charge
-
What's Where: May 28
Local activities are scheduled Monday.
-
Handicapped murder convict alleges prison discrimination
Since October 2006, Donald Lock has been confined to a wheel chair because of a degenerative bone disease. He has spent time at correctional facilities throughout the state, but it wasn’t until he was transferred to Pendleton earlier this year that he said he felt his disability was ignored.
-
Arrest log: May 27
The following arrest log appears in the Sunday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
-
Parents at Little League say coach took money
Parents of the North Anderson Little League filed a complaint with police against a former coach who they say stole fundraiser money.
- More Local News Headlines
-
