All-County Honor Orchestra

Young Keun Kim is currently the Director of Orchestras at Johns Creek High School in Johns Creek, Georgia. Prior to coming to Johns
Creek, he taught at Camp Creek Middle School (1988-1992), Riverwood High School (1992-1997), and Centennial High School (1997-
2009).  He is a graduate of Georgia State University where he received his Bachelor of Music degree (B.M.) and Master of Music
Education degree (M.M.Ed.).
Under his direction, Young Kim’s groups have performed four times at the prestigious Midwest Clinic International Band and
Orchestra Conference in Chicago – once with the Centennial High School Orchestra (2005) and three times with the Johns Creek
High School Orchestra (2012, 2017, 2022).  Soloists with his orchestras have included Chris Martin (Principal Trumpet, New York
Philharmonic) and William Pu (Former Associate Concertmaster, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra).
In addition, Young Kim’s groups have performed six times at the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference in
Savannah, Georgia (2000, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2020). Other notable performances include performing at the 58th Biennial
(MENC) Music Educators National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee (2002) and the special 2012 Centennial Celebration of the
National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.
Young Kim’s groups have also traveled and performed internationally–participating in five European concert tours (2001, 2005,
2009, 2014, 2019). They have performed in Austria (Salzburg, Vienna, Eisenstadt), Germany (Munich), Italy (Rome, Perugia,
Florence, Assisi, Cremona, Padua, Venice), Hungary (Budapest), and Czech Republic (Prague). His orchestras have also performed
numerous times at Symphony Hall, Spivey Hall, and at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion. For the past thirty four years, his groups
have earned consecutive SUPERIOR ratings at the GMEA District V Orchestra Large-Group Performance Evaluation.
Young Kim is an active clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad.  He was a member of
the prestigious Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) faculty for four summers (1998, 1999, 2000, and 2003). In addition to
guest conducting All-State and Honor Orchestras, he has also conducted many summer music camps such as the American String
Teachers Association (ASTA) music camp, the University of Georgia Summer Music Camp in Athens, Georgia, and the Interlochen
Summer Music Arts Camp in Interlochen, MI.
Young Kim has also been active in the Korean-American community in the Atlanta Area. He founded the Korean-American Youth
Center Orchestra/KAYCO (청소년 센타 오케스트라) in 1994 and conducted this orchestra for four years. Members of KAYCO included
some of the top middle, high school, and college student musicians in the Atlanta area. This group was invited to perform at various
important functions, including the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games at Woodruff Park. Young Kim has also directed the Korean-
American Chamber Orchestra. Members of this group included the concertmaster and principal string players of the Atlanta
Symphony Youth Orchestra (ASYO) and college students of Georgia State University.
He has served as the GMEA District V Orchestra Chair, organizing chairman for the District V Orchestra Large Group Performance
Evaluation, and organizing chairman for the Fulton County High School Honor Orchestra. Young Kim has also served as the National
High School Honor Orchestra (NHSHO) Representative/Chair for Georgia. He currently serves as the certified Head Adjudicator for
the GMEA Orchestra Large Group Performance Evaluation.
In 2006, Young Kim was selected as the “2006 Georgia Music Educator of the Year” by the Georgia Music Educators Association. He
is listed in the 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006 editions of the “Who’s Who Among America ‘s Teachers.”  He was also selected and
recognized as the “Expert Teacher Cadre-7” in the Fulton County Schools system in 1997 and participated in its leadership program.
He currently serves as the Fulton County Fine Arts Support Teacher for Orchestra.
Young Kim was named the “S.T.A.R. Teacher“ of Johns Creek High School in 2010, 2012, and 2018 and “Teacher of the Year” at
Johns Creek High School in 2011-2012.
His current professional affiliations include National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Georgia Music Educators Association
(GMEA), American String Teachers Association (ASTA), and Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education. Young Kim is
listed in the 2006-2007 editions of National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals.
In addition to being the Director of Orchestras at Johns Creek High School, he also teaches piano class and has taught AP Music
Theory.