Charlie Kook 국대균
Biography
Percussionist and composer Charlie Kook is a current high school student at Korea International School. His love of classical and jazz music fueled his creation of KIS’s first ever jazz club, where he is currently a co-founder.
Currently, he plays percussion for two symphony orchestras: Elite Symphony Orchestra and Eins Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in multiple grand venues such as the Seongnam Arts Center, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center, and more. Additionally, he sings as a bass for his local church choir. In the past, he has participated in multiple solo and ensemble festivals, hosted by established organizations such as the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) and the Korea International Music Educators Association (KIMEA), receiving highly commendable ratings.
Kook also began his composition journey in early secondary school following his attendance in an introductory course on 18th-century composition. His expertise in classical compositions is exemplified by his presence at Berklee’s High School Composition Intensive (HSCI), where composing pieces for solo piano, string quartet, and more. Fittingly, he impressively scored a five on the College Board’s 2025 AP Music Theory exam in his sophomore year.
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In middle school, I was riding my mom’s car, and we were listening to the second piano concerto by Rachmaninoff. From that moment, I got really into music, especially classical music. I started joining orchestras and started learning percussion. I also started listening to more music in general. That’s when I realized how passionate I was about it. It sparked me.
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My favorite composer is Beethoven. In my opinion, his orchestral repertoire, and especially his piano sonatas, are a genius.
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For timpani, I think I perform Beethoven the best because I have experience in playing Beethoven's symphonies. For marimba, I think I perform Bach the best. I'm surprisingly good at memorizing pieces such as Bach's violin and cello repertoire.
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A few months ago, I played Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. That’s definitely the one I’m most proud of. It was my first time performing the entire symphony. Until few months ago, I only played parts of musics but never had experienced playing the full symphony. It’s special and unforgettable.
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My favourite musician is Yun Chan Lim because he is Korean and has done a great thing. His Rachmaninoff 3 performance was amazing.
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I spend a lot of time listening to music on stage and off, and I study music history too. Whether I’m working on compositions or just practicing, I’m always surrounded by classical music. I’m constantly learning, and that inspires me to continue my passion for music.
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I don't have any performances that I've planned coming up, but I am performing as part of an orchestra in September.
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I wouldn’t say it’s super unique, but I do have a routine. I always start with snare drum warm-ups. It usually takes about an hour, and I make sure to do it every time I practice.
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When I first joined the orchestra, I had to play the snare drum part for Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. It was really hard at first, but I figured out how to make the snare sound stronger and smoother. That’s when I realized how intense my motivation was. It took months of practice, but I eventually got it down. I wasn’t perfect, but I was really happy with my role.
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I don’t have a super specific example, but I think half of percussion is actually just the setup. Sometimes during school concerts, things go totally chaotic—like we’ll be missing mallets or even instruments. I remember my friend Kenyu was supposed to play the bass drum, but the mallets disappeared, so we had to improvise on the spot. That kind of stuff happens a lot!
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