Rachel Kim enjoys a diverse career as a concert pianist, chamber musician, educator, and mentor. Recognized as a powerful and lyrical pianist, she has established herself as a versatile musician.

She is a founding member of San Francisco-based piano trio, Curium. Winners of the 2017 Barbara Fritz Chamber Music Award sponsored by the Berkeley Piano Club, the trio specializes in performing the works of women composers and has gained momentum among Bay Area audiences of diverse backgrounds. Founded in 2017, they have been invited to perform in some of the Bay Area’s leading concert series, including Old First Concerts, Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series, SF Music Day at San Francisco War Memorial, Berkeley Chamber Players, and Four Seasons Arts, among others. In the summer of 2017, they performed at Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University as part of the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar International Showcase and were a featured ensemble in the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University. Their passion for new music led to a 2019 collaboration with the Helia Music Collective, which included the commission and premiere of three new works by leading Bay Area women composers. Curium is a fiscally sponsored affiliate of Intermusic SF and are the recipients of the 2020 Musical Grant Program. In 2023, the trio recorded their debut CD album featuring works by women composers, which can be found on various streaming platforms.

Rachel’s career includes a deep investment in music education and social justice. She served as the Lead Music Teacher at The Branson School in Ross, CA, from 2015-2021. In addition to teaching general, choral, and chamber music courses, she served as Advisor to affinity groups and was the recipient of the 2020 Carlson-LaGrain Award for Teaching Excellence. Her increasing inquiries around Western European-based traditions in music became the catalyst to enter into a doctoral program at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City, where she is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education. Her research interests include a focus on Asian Critical Theory and Asian American women leaders in higher music education. As a Milman Fellow, she also works as a music teacher at the Teachers College Community School in Morningside Heights teaching general and digital music.

Rachel earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Catholic University of America, her Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory, where she served as Graduate Assistant to Paul Hersh, and her Master of Education in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.