$1 Million Endowment Aspires to Build Musical Bridges

Business leader and philanthropist Jong Sup Kim views music as a universal language that bridges communities and enhances lives. With a $1 million gift, he aims to help the UC Irvine Department of Music at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) extend its impact, both locally and globally.

The Jong Sup Kim Family Endowment will support the music department’s highest priorities, such as scholarships to recruit the top talent, stipends to bring world-class visiting artists for guest lectures and masterclasses, and to foster meaningful collaborations with community organizations.

“Music is more than just a powerful soundtrack for our lives. It’s a bridge that brings people together to do great things,” said Tiffany López, Claire Trevor Dean of the Arts. “Mr. Kim’s generous gift to Music fuels our vision at CTSA for students to be connected to a global community through music.”

Image: (left to right) Sarah Strozza, Hye-Won Shin, Director of Korea Relations at UCI, Michael Dessen, Eunah Noh, Professor at SNU, Mr. Jong Sup Kim, Tiffany Lopez, Carol Choi, Vice Chancellor Brian Hervey, Benjamin Kim. Photo by Steve Zylius.

Kim’s passion for music is both personal and professional. Kim has always enjoyed music, from classical to the rock and roll of his childhood in South Korea, including Elvis and The Beatles. Following a career in South Korean military service and then as a successful entrepreneur, Kim became chairman of Samick Musical Instrument Co., Ltd, in 2002. Today, Samick is one of the world’s largest instrument manufacturers, best known for its guitars and pianos sold under popular brand names such as Greg Bennett and Pramberger.

“Through music, students grow emotionally — music can help them mature,” said Kim. “I always emphasize to parents of teenagers that they should not only stay in the science lab, but also go to the music halls, so their personality grows much richer.” 

While splitting his time between South Korea and his home in Irvine, California, Kim learned more about UC Irvine and its music department through his friend, UC Irvine Trustee and alumna Carol Choi ’85. Hoping to foster connections between the Irvine campus and South Korea’s top-ranked university, Seoul National University (SNU), where he is president of the alumni association, Kim hosted visits to introduce leaders of the two institutions, including Chancellor Howard Gillman. It was during one of these trips to SNU with leaders of both campuses, in April 2024, that a Kim announced his intent to create an endowment for UC Irvine’s music department. Over time, Kim hopes to expand the relationship to include academic exchanges between UC Irvine and SNU, enhancing the global esteem of both institutions. 

Kim says that everywhere he travels, he looks for opportunities to connect and inspire, often seeking out foundations or community organizations. His interest in helping others is deeply rooted. Kim’s youngest brother had a disability, which in part inspired him to study social work in college. Today, Kim dedicates his time to many social and charitable causes and has served as President of the Seoul National University ROTC Alumni Association, President of the ROTC Scholarship Foundation, President of the Korean Red Cross and President of the overseas volunteer organization COPION.

“Mr. Kim believes if you work hard and are blessed with a fortune, then you become a tool to help others,” explained Choi. “For him it is sincerely about helping others and giving students opportunities they would not otherwise have.”

Now a grandfather of teens growing up in California, Kim encourages parents to incorporate music into their children’s education. That sentiment is certainly one embraced by students and faculty at UC Irvine. The music department attracts outstanding students who entertain admissions offers from music schools and conservatories, and many end up choosing UC Irvine for the opportunity to study music within a top-ranked research university that offers a plethora of educational opportunities and career paths. 

Image: Gum Nanse Music Center director Dada Gum playing the piano while visiting CTSA. Photo by Steve Zylius.

Michael Dessen, chair of the music department, points out that while alumni often pursue professional music careers, many others double major and enter medicine, law, business or education. Furthermore, many students from outside the Claire Trevor School of the Arts participate in performance groups — as much as 90% of the wind ensemble is made up of non-music majors. 

“This wonderful gift will strengthen our program by providing resources we need to maintain excellence in music performance education, support our students who follow diverse career pathways, and help us build partnerships with community organizations,” said Dessen. “Supporters like Mr. Kim make possible our exceptional learning outcomes for students.”

Both for students to pursue professional music careers and those who carve other pathways to success, Kim’s gift will elevate their music education at UC Irvine, and help build musical bridges with communities here and abroad.

To learn more about UC Irvine's Department of Music, visit music.arts.uci.edu.