Kim Han joins Paris Opera Orchestra as principal clarinetist

Kim Han, the Korean clarinetist who shone a spotlight on the instrument, will join the Paris Opera Orchestra as the principal clarinet this year, according to his management company Credia on Tuesday.

Kim secured the position after passing an audition in January.

Born in 1996, Kim debuted through the Kumho Prodigy Concert at the age of 11. He studied at Eton College and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the UK.

Since 2018, he has been playing for the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra as its second solo clarinetist.

In 2021, Kim was named the artist-in-residence at Kumho Art Hall, becoming the first wind instrument performer to take the title at the institution that has long supported emerging artists.

Kim took home various awards including the first prize from the Third Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition in 2016 and the second prize in the 68th ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2015.