Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eunmi Ko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Eunmi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am a pianist and founder/president of Contemporary Art Music Project(CAMP), the new music organization founded in 2021. I moved to Tampa (FL) in 2014 and always missed the culture of new music/ensemble music performances. In 2021, I decided not to wait any longer and start my own organization to present new music to the community.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a pianist and was trained to be a professional classical performer. Not all classical performers work with living composers. I also only learned & performed music by dead white men. During my studies at the Eastman School of Music, I was exposed to “new” music. Many of my musician friends performed in the new music ensemble at Eastman, and they worked with their composer friends. I got my feet wet with new music at Eastman. I started working with living composers actively when I met my colleague, Bob McCormick. As a former member of the Harry Partch ensemble, Bob has been the biggest advocate and champion of new music. I met many composers through him and projects he and I co-worked for. Naturally, I found CAMP to work extensively with composers and performers who share the same passion for new music as me.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Since I started CAMP, I have built new relationships with artists I did not know. I always learn something new from the collaboration. Many things come out of the collaboration. I believe in the artist community and collaboration. I am hoping to work with more people more extensively.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best support is your interest! Of course, donating to arts organizations is great support. Joining a board of arts organizations is great support. But the best support you can give me is your interest in music that may not be familiar to you, your interest in an event that you have never attended, and your interest in the music/arts world that you have never experienced. Be curious and attend new music events! That is the best support for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://contemporaryartmusicproject.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contemporary_art_music_project/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ContemporaryArtMusicProject
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@contemporaryartmusicprojec1883