Trapped
for flute and percussion ensemble (2010)
Duration: 4.5′
Instrumentation: solo flute, 5 percussionists (glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, temple blocks, congas)
Premiere: Shenandoah Conservatory, Winchester, Virginia, 2011
Trapped represents the yearnings of individuals to escape constraints—whether constraints imposed upon them or constraints of their own making—limiting their human potential. It was composed in collaboration with choreographer Christina Miller at Shenandoah Conservatory while Kim was completing his doctorate in conducting. Miller’s dance composition, Decisions, portrayed a man trapped in a manipulative relationship who struggles to decide between holding onto what he has and moving on to pursue another.
Trapped also was a reflection of Kim’s challenge to pursue his interest in composition during a time when conducting was his primary focus. The piece was originally premiered in an electronic format but is performable with live instruments.
Paul Sanho Kim 