Daniel Myeongjun Kim, winner of the 2020 Korean Next-Generation Choral Conducting Competition, is a conductor, organist, and columnist actively engaged in both Korea and the United States.

In the United States, Kim was named a Conducting Fellow of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO, 2025) and the Northwestern Bach Academy (2024). He further broadened his artistic perspective through studies with Cheryl Frazes Hill of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Robert Porco of the Cincinnati May Festival.

At Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, Kim serves as an Associate Instructor in Choral Conducting, teaching and assisting in ensemble activities under Dr. Dominick DiOrio and Dr. Betsy Burleigh. He works as Assistant Conductor of NOTUS (IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble) and has directed the IU All Campus Chorus. He also served as Associate Conductor of the Grammy-winning Singing Hoosiers, performing at the 2025 ACDA National Conference. His opera experience includes assisting in the 2024 world premiere of Kavalier and Clay, co-produced with the Metropolitan Opera, and later joining the production team as Assistant Chorus Master for IU Opera Theater’s The Marriage of Figaro.

In Korea, Kim led the Yonsei Glee Club to first prize at the 6th Yonsei A Cappella Sacred Music Festival and conducted the final round of the 3rd National Children’s Choir Competition at KBS Hall while serving as associate conductor of the YeonEum Children’s Choir. As the co-founder of the Seoul Youth Choir, he has focused on discovering and promoting new Korean choral works in collaboration with emerging composers. In 2022, he received critical attention for preparing the premiere of the cantata Yu Gwan-sun, commemorating the 120th anniversary of the Korean independence martyr, at the National Theater of Korea.

Deeply committed to contemporary music, Kim has conducted numerous premieres and revivals of both choral and orchestral works. He has premiered compositions by Korean composers Jaeho Jeong, Chungman Jang, Hongjoo Jeong, and Hyeonho Shim, as well as by international composers Mårten Jansson (Sweden), Keiko Harada (Japan), and Euna Jo (USA), bringing diverse global voices to the stage. His performances of Yeomwon by Ji-Won Kim and Arirang by Professor Jong-Yeoul Chong have furthered international understanding of Korea’s cultural heritage and the historical reality of its division.

As a vocalist, Kim has participated in major productions as a member and artistic coordinator of the Chantez à Dieu Choir, performing works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s St. John Passion, and Franck’s Seven Words on the Cross. He has also recorded with the Vespers Choir, Chorus Cum, and Vox Amicis, and in 2024 performed in the world premiere of four previously unpublished cantatas by Baroque composer Christoph Graupner.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Church Music from Yonsei University and completed his master’s degree in Choral Conducting at Indiana University, where he is currently pursuing his doctorate.