Kim Dong-min: New York Artists Fight as Entrepreneurs to Preserve Purity of Art
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Kim Dong-min, music director of New York Classical Players (NYCP), spoke at Seoul’s ‘Arte Salon’ about 17 years of surviving in New York’s harsh classical-music industry. He argued that major figures and institutions (e.g., the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall) protect artistic purity by using highly business-minded and political strategies — new revenue models, large investments, and strong leadership. Kim described the city’s brutal economics (high venue rents, ruthless market logic) and warned that unprepared challenges often fail. He advised young musicians to practice cold self-reflection and make strategic decisions: don’t obsess solely on entering elite circles; instead, find or build your own audience and musical territory. Kim used NYCP’s free-concert, community-focused approach as an example of sustainable “neighborhood musician” work that supports New York’s wider classical scene.
