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Yoosun Nam
She began to study classical piano and voice at the age nine, eventually winning multiple vocal competitions in South Korea. She started to listen to jazz in high school and learned that it was the only genre of music that had unlimited freedom.
Considering her love of jazz, it was obvious that she chose to play the saxophone. At the age of 19, when she picked up the instrument, she was studying computer science at Seoul National Women’s University. But because she knew that being a musician had always been her dream, in 2002 she transferred to the Seoul Institute of the Arts, where she received the “A light of Art” award from the Applied Music department.
After graduating from Seoul Institute of the Arts, she was admitted to Berklee College of Music as a world tour scholarship student. At Berklee, she encountered great opportunities as she was able to study with George Garzone, Bill Pierce and Darren Barrett. It was one of the greatest moments of her life when she shared the stage with young and talented musicians from all over the world. She received the “Joseph Viola” award from Berklee Woodwind department.
In 2011, Yoo Sun moved to New York City, where she began pursuing her Master’s degree in jazz studies from NYU Steinhardt. During her time in New York, Yoo Sun was fortunate enough to have studied and performed with great jazz artists such as Artist Faculty members Joe Lovano, Dave Pietro, Gill Goldstein, Kenny Werner, Alan Ferber, and Ralph Alessi.
Yoo Sun has also performed regularly at many jazz clubs in New York as a leader of her own group. Recently, Yoo Sun Release her Debut CD called “Light of the City” with Special featuring on tenor saxophone Chris Cheek, which is inspired by many great artists in New York City.
Awards
Light of the Art (Seoul Institute of the Arts) Joseph Viola Scholarship ( Berklee College of Music)
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Yoosun Nam: Light Of the City
by Ian Patterson
It's a love story in essence: South Korean classical piano and vocal protégé with multiple competition wins, hears jazz in high school; picks up saxophone at nineteen and swaps university computer studies for music; then, as straight and true as Cupid's arrow, heads for Berklee College of Music; New York and a Master's degree in jazz studies duly beckons at NYU Steinhardt, under the tutelage of Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano and Ralph Alessi, among others. The first fruit of Yoonsum ...
read moreYoosun Nam: Light Of the City
by Edward Blanco
Based in New York City, South Korean saxophonist Yoosun Nam leads a very able quintet in recording her very first album as leader on the modern and contemporary-styled Light of the City. A classically-trained musician who began studying music at a young age, Nam played the piano at first and while she enjoyed many styles of music, she was drawn to jazz and picked up the saxophone at the tender age of nineteen. After making a successful transformation to the ...
read moreYoosun Nam: Light Of the City
by Hrayr Attarian
Seoul native and New York based saxophonist Yoosun Nam's debut Light Of the City, true to its name, is a luminous album that showcases Nam's strong sense of lyricism and her exquisite agility on the her instrument. An incandescent feel imbues all eight Nam penned originals and although none of the tunes are particularly memorable there is a thematic cohesiveness to the record and a warm, organic ambience. On Up and Down," Nam weaves a charming, spontaneous and ...
read morePrimary Instrument
Saxophone, alto
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Photos
Music
Light of The City
From: Light Of the CityBy Yoosun Nam
Up and Down
From: Light Of the CityBy Yoosun Nam