Hailey Deng ‘25
Ashley Kim ‘23 is March’s artist of the month for her dedication to the flute both inside and outside of EA’s music community. Kim’s interest with music began when she “started playing the violin when I was four, but switched to the flute when I was nine because I loved the sound and the vocal quality of the instrument.”
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kim ’23
Kim explains that her interest expanded to playing in school because she “always love[s] the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians because we have a chance to create something special together.” Kim participates in EA’s Band and Chamber Ensemble.
Ryan Dankanich, Band Director, describes Kim as a “positive, upbeat person, musically and non-musically.” James Finnegan, Orchestra Director, recalls his first impression of Kim as “incredibly eager to begin making music; her first priority at EA was learning about and being involved in the music program. Ashley was full of ideas and her love of music was infectious. I was very impressed by Ashley’s flute playing, and she had a wisdom about music and life that was beyond her years.”
Dankanich comments on Kim’s musical development, explaining, “When I heard her play I was really impressed. As a ninth grader when she came to EA, she sounded really good, but it’s more of what I’ve heard since. I’ve heard some really good musicians in ninth grade, and the growth that she’s made since then is just beyond belief.”
Kim’s presence is felt both by her mentors and students, as her leadership has impacted those around her. Kailin Gao ‘25, a flutist who plays alongside Kim, notes, “She’s always a leader. Whenever we have high notes or things, I can always hear her play.” Dankanich explains Kim’s impact on the other band students by saying, “I hate to overuse the ‘lead by example’ phrase, but she really does — she’s truly the best flute player that I’ve taught since I’ve been here. Just the fact that she can show up and play her parts cold all the time speaks to her ability to lead by example.”
Ashley’s involvement in the Chamber Ensemble extends beyond her flute-playing. Finnegan explains, “She is always coming to me with ideas for repertoire, and even introduced me to new composers who I otherwise would not have heard of. Ashley suggested that we play Clair de Lune, a well-known piano piece by the French composer Claude Debussy, and I was able to find an arrangement that we are now preparing for the spring concert.” Finnegan continues that Kim’s leadership shows through her confidence in her skill as “she is the only flute player and the leader of the group. She is also a stellar communicator who puts the needs of the ensemble first and has mature musical ideas.”
Michelle Jiang 24’, member of the Chamber Ensemble, explains that Kim’s leadership abilities show through “clarify[ing] phrasing with Mr. Finegan and work[ing] on style with us as a group after we obtained a strong grasp on the piece.”
While being involved in Band and Chamber Ensemble, Kim also participates in community competitions. In 2021, Kim was one of four Episcopal students selected as a Dora Khayatt winner. Kim explains that since the competition was held through video auditions, it “required slightly different preparation than a typical live audition. Especially with the flute, it’s hard to capture color, texture, and other nuances behind tone over the microphone, so I put extra effort towards perfecting my rhythms and making my runs as clean as possible.” Kim also comments that her favorite part about winning the competition was performing for the lower schoolers, “I’ve always been driven by the inspiration of older musicians, so it means the world to have the opportunity to give back in the same way.”
Outside of EA, Kim performed in Carnegie Hall, one of the most prestigious concert venues in the world. This opportunity to perform came from Music for Change, a youth-led organization which advocates for diverse, equitable, and inclusive music spaces. Kim explains, “I spent the whole day in anticipation of the evening’s performance, and was just so grateful and excited to be a part of an amazing initiative at such a beautiful venue.”
In fact, that was not Kim’s first time playing at Carnegie Hall. Kim says, “A few years ago, I had performed Mahler’s Fifth at Carnegie as part of a girls choir — and I remember telling myself that one day I would be back to perform as a soloist on my flute. This experience affirmed my belief that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, even if that means persevering through hard work, rejection, and failure.”
Although Kim has pursued musical opportunities during her high school career, she says, “I’m not sure whether I’ll pursue music in college or professionally just yet.” However, she is certain that “music will always be an important part of my life.”