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Yoosun Nam

Yoo Sun Nam is an up­ and­coming alto saxophonist and composer from South Korea. At a young age, she was very intrigued by many different styles of music including classical, Korean traditional, pop and funk.

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)


Tags

9
Album Review

Yoosun Nam: Light Of the City

Read "Light Of the City" reviewed 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 ...

37
Album Review

Yoosun Nam: Light Of the City

Read "Light Of the City" reviewed 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 ...

27
Album Review

Yoosun Nam: Light Of the City

Read "Light Of the City" reviewed 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 ...

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Primary Instrument

Saxophone, alto

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Light Of the City

Self Produced
2015

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Light Of the City

Self Produced
2014

buy

Light of The City

From: Light Of the City
By Yoosun Nam

Up and Down

From: Light Of the City
By Yoosun Nam

Videos

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