BUENA PARK, CA, March 18, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Donald Dongsuk Kim, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Kim celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Recently retired, Dr. Kim served as a professor who taught in the department of ethnomusicology, which is the study of music from the social and cultural contexts, at the University of California in Los Angeles between 1997 and 2014. As a pioneer in his field, he extensively studied and taught traditional Korean music and researched Korean American ethnic heritage. Proud of his accomplishments, Dr. Kim is equally grateful to have been able to maintain his own heritage while teaching future generations how to do the same.
Among his other noteworthy roles, Dr. Kim was responsible for the founding of the Korean Classical Music Institute in America in 1973. Establishing the music and dance institute after discovering that there were no traditional Korean music institutes in the region, he also founded and directed the Korean Classical Music and Dance Corporation in Buena Park, California, in 1978, which he maintained for over 40 years until 2020. Additionally, Dr. Kim was involved in more than 5,000 school performances and Korean music classes at Fair Fax High School between 1999 and 2020, and has lectured hundreds of K-12 teachers throughout the U.S. in his area of expertise from 2001 until 2020.
Much sought after for his scholarly expertise, Dr. Kim has published musical books of Korean court music and folk music. He also broadcasted Music of Korea through Radio Korea and Radio Seoul for nearly two decades. As a distinguished member of the musical community, Dr. Kim was the musical director and a senior elder at the Korean-American Presbyterian Church and is presently a member of the Korean Unification advisory committee. He also enjoyed establishing and directing the Korean Parade in Koreatown, which is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, between 1973 and 2019.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Kim began studying Korean music in the seventh grade and was later selected by the Korean government to receive a six-year full scholarship to learn traditional Korean music and dance. Attending one of the most prestigious music universities in Korea, the National Korean Music Institute, he subsequently transferred to Seoul National University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1968. Dr. Kim went on to enter the Republic of Korean Army as a first lieutenant in 1968 and served until 1970, whereupon he was honorably discharged. Ultimately, he relocated to the U.S. to further his studies and earned a Master of Arts at Hope International University and a Doctor of Philosophy in traditional Korean music at C.S. University.
To support his career, Dr. Kim has been a prominent member of the Southern California Musicians Association, where he once served on the board of directors between 1975 and 1990. Likewise, he contributed in a similar capacity to the Orange County Athletic Association from 1989 to 1990. Dr. Kim was also active on the advisory committee of SNUALA for more than a decade, beginning in 2007, and served as the president of the Southern California Seoul National University Alumni during 2007.
Dr. Kim was recognized as the Best Teacher of the Year for 2002 and Best Artist of the Year in School Performances for 2005. He also received several City and Federal Comprehensive Employment Training Act Grants between 1978 and 1980, a Durfee Foundation Grant in 1990 and an Intangible Artist Award in American Cultural Folk Arts that included $30,000 for three years of research. A celebrated Marquis listee, Dr. Kim has been cited in the second and third editions of Who's Who in Entertainment.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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