Hello!
dal duo
My sister Valerie and I have been performing together since childhood, and we are so excited to announce our official duo name: Dal Duo!
Dal / 달 in Korean means 'moon' and is also the root of the verb meaning 'to be sweet'
Coincidentally, it is also a combination of our nicknames, Dom & Val.
about us
Valerie Kim, violin & piano
Korean-American violinist, Valerie Kim, made her concerto debut on piano at the age of 10 with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, just before moving to New York City to study both violin and piano at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division as a Starling Foundation scholar. When she was 12, Valerie was selected to attend the Perlman Music Program (PMP) with whom she has since had the opportunity to perform in California, Florida, Israel, and New York, and has had the privilege of working with members of the Juilliard String Quartet and luminaries including Joel Krosnick, Merry Peckham and Donald Weilerstein.
Valerie has been heard in recitals and masterclasses at the 2015 Starling DeLay Symposium and was featured on NPR’s From the Top (Show 307) with host Christopher O’Riley. She has performed with The Little Orchestra Society, New City Sinfonia, and San Diego Symphony as a piano and violin concerto soloist and has concertized at the La Jolla Music Society and Ventura Music Festival. In 2016, she performed and received instruction from Boris Brovtsyn, Clara Jumi Kang, and Mihaela Martin at the PyeongChang Music Festival and School in Korea. She was invited in 2018 to São Paulo as a guest teaching artist at Guri Santa Marcelina and also performed in recitals and masterclasses at the 2019 Verão Classico Festival and Academy. Valerie’s nurturing PMP upbringing has shaped her into a devoted chamber musician and a founding member of the Kila Quartet, mentored by Roger Tapping. Most recently, they were invited to the 2019 PMP Chamber Music Workshop and have previously been seen in masterclasses and concerts at the 2019 Robert Mann String Quartet Institute, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and several venues in Lincoln Center.
Valerie is continuing her studies at Juilliard in the Bachelor of Music degree program under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin as a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship. Her previous private teachers include Catherine Cho, George Katz, Jeff Thayer, Donald Weilerstein, and Rebekah Yoon. In addition to her professional and educational pursuits, Valerie has enjoyed sharing her music in local schools and retirement communities from a young age, especially as a duo with her flutist-pianist sister, Dominique. Away from the violin, Valerie loves to write, bike, and cook with her family.
Dominique Kim, flute & piano
A California native, Dominique Kim has performed solo flute and piano concerti with various orchestras across the U.S., including the San Diego Symphony. As both a pianist and flutist, Dominique is a versatile chamber musician and enjoys playing a wide range of music.
After discovering her love for orchestral playing in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and Harvard College Opera Society in college, Dominique participated in the 2017 New York String Orchestra Seminar, and performed in Carnegie Hall under the baton of Jaime Laredo. An active substitute with the Houston Symphony and Hartford Symphony, Dominique has also worked with influential conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Stéphane Denève, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Dominique was a 2018 Music Academy of the West Fellow and looks forward to being a Tanglewood Fellow in 2021.
Most recently, Dominique won 1st prize in the 39th annual James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, in addition to the Fenwick Smith Memorial Prize for Best Performance of a New Work. In 2009, Dominique won first prize at the San Diego Symphony’s Young Artist Competition “Hot Shots” and performed as piano soloist with the University of San Diego’s Orchestra as part of the school’s 60th anniversary celebration. Later in the same year Dominique made her flute concerto debut with the San Diego Symphony, and performed at Washington’s Kennedy Center. Dominique was also featured at La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest 2009 & 2010 Galas, and during the live TV broadcast of “A Salute to Teachers” award show in 2008.
Dominique holds a Bachelor's Degree in History of Art & Architecture with a secondary in Germanic Languages & Literature as well as a Masters in Music through the Harvard/NEC Dual Degree program. After studying with Paula Robison at the New England Conservatory of Music, Dominique is currently pursuing further musical studies at Rice University Shepherd School of Music under the tutelage of Leone Buyse. Away from the flute, Dominique enjoys visiting museums, cooking with her family, and ice skating.