Amazing Asians in the Arts: Sujin Kim-Ramsey

-

Sujin Kim-Ramsey is a musician based in NYC—and you might have heard her work recently on Broadway as the Assistant Music Director, Keyboard 1 player, and substitute conductor for “CATS: The Jellicle Ball!” Inspired by Disney films, Kim-Ramsey pursued a career in musical theatre composition, first studying classical composition at Yonsei University in Korea before moving to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music and later NYU. Her credits now include serving as Music Director of “KPOP” on Broadway, Music Director and Arranger for Lauren Gunderson and Ari Afsar’s “I and You,” and Music Director of “The Apple Boys.” Offstage, Kim-Ramsey is a co-founder of Victory Path Productions, where she and her husband create faith-based music and theatre for all ages. Read on to learn more about Sujin Kim-Ramsey and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Name:   Sujin Kim-Ramsey

Heritage:   Korean

Hometown:   Seoul, South Korea 

Current City:   New York City

Current project: I recently completed my work as the Assistant Music Director, Keyboard 1 player, and a substitute conductor for the Broadway production of “CATS: The Jellicle Ball, which just closed. I am currently working as a composer and arranger on several original musicals that are in development, while continuing to develop my own original projects through Victory Path Productions, a creative company I founded with my husband.

 

What are some of your favorite credits/projects:

Some of my favorite credits include serving as the Music Director of “KPOP” on Broadway and Off-Broadway, Associate Music Director of “CATS: The Jellicle Ball” at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, and Music Director and Arranger for Lauren Gunderson and Ari Afsar’s “I and You” at McCarter Theatre. I also served as Music Director for “The Last Match” and “The Apple Boys,” and had the special opportunity to have my original concert piece performed at Carnegie Hall.

Each of these projects has been meaningful to me for a different reason, but “KPOP” will always hold a particularly special place in my heart. As a Korean immigrant and musician, it was incredibly meaningful to help bring Korean music, language, and culture to a Broadway stage.

 

Any advice for young people getting into the arts?

Don’t limit yourself to just one skill. The more I learned – composing, arranging, playing, conducting, and music directing – the more ways I found to contribute to a creative room. Every skill eventually became connected to another.

I would also encourage young artists not to compare their timeline with anyone else’s. A career in the arts rarely follows a straight path. Some opportunities come quickly, while others take years of preparation before they appear. Keep studying, keep creating, and try to become the kind of collaborator people want to work with again. 

 

How did you get your start?

My love for musicals began when I was very young. I was fascinated by Disney animated musicals and by the idea that ordinary dialogue could suddenly become music when emotions grew too big for words. I would make up melodies in everyday life, play songs I loved on the piano, and try to write them down. Long before I understood that musical theatre composition could be a career, I knew that I wanted to tell stories through music.

I studied classical composition at Yonsei University in Korea, then moved to the United States to study jazz composition and musical theatre composition at Berklee College of Music. Later, I attended NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. My original goal was to become a musical theatre composer, but along the way, my work as a pianist, arranger, and music director continued to grow. Those different paths eventually led me to New York and Broadway.

 

Do you have any favorite moments in your career that you'd like to share?

One of my most unforgettable moments was walking into the Circle in the Square Theatre as the Music Director of “KPOP.” Seeing Korean stories and culture represented on a Broadway stage—and realizing that I was helping shape the music of that production—was deeply emotional for me. It felt like many different parts of my life had come together in one place.

Another favorite moment was conducting “CATS: The Jellicle Ball.” Conducting a Broadway orchestra is something I once could only imagine, so standing at the podium and looking out at the musicians was both surreal and humbling.

I also treasure the smaller moments: hearing an arrangement come to life for the first time, helping a performer discover something new in a song, or watching children perform a musical I wrote for them. Those moments remind me that artistic success is not only about the size of the stage. It is also about the people you reach and the community you create.

 

What have you found is the biggest challenge in your career?

One of the greatest challenges has been learning how to build a career in an industry where there was not always someone who looked like me in the positions I hoped to hold. As a Korean immigrant and an Asian woman, I sometimes had to imagine possibilities for myself before I could see many examples of them around me.

Another challenge is the uncertainty of a life in the theatre. No matter how experienced you become, every production eventually closes, and you often have to begin again. I have learned to live with that uncertainty while continuing to prepare, grow, and create. Now that I am also a mother, finding a healthy balance between my family and the demands of theatre has become another important and ongoing part of that journey.

 

When did you know you wanted to have a career in the arts?

I knew from childhood that I wanted music to be part of my life. Disney musical films had a huge impact on me. I loved how a character could begin by speaking and then suddenly start singing when words were no longer enough. That transformation felt magical to me. I began making up songs and melodies of my own, and eventually I realized that there were people whose actual job was to create musicals. From that point on, becoming a musical theatre composer became my dream.

 

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be?

In some ways, yes – and in many ways, not at all! I came to the United States dreaming of becoming a musical theatre composer. I never imagined that I would also become a Broadway music director, conductor, arranger, and keyboardist. My career has expanded in directions I could not have predicted.

At the same time, the heart of what I wanted to do has remained the same: I want to tell stories through music and help bring those stories to life with other artists. The form has changed, but the dream underneath it has not.

 

What skills did you find to be the most helpful in your career?

Musical versatility has been extremely helpful. My training in classical composition, jazz, arranging, piano, and musical theatre writing allows me to understand a production from several different perspectives. I can communicate with composers, orchestrators, musicians, performers, directors, and sound teams because I have experience in many parts of the process.

 

Where did you study?

I studied classical composition at Yonsei University in South Korea, jazz composition at Berklee College of Music, and musical theatre writing at NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.

 

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Professionally, becoming the Music Director of “KPOP” on Broadway is one of my proudest accomplishments. It represented not only years of musical training and work, but also my Korean heritage and my journey as an immigrant artist.

Personally, however, I am most proud that I have continued creating while also being a mother. Building a life that includes my family, my professional theatre career, my faith, and my own original work is not always easy, but it is the accomplishment that feels most meaningful to me.

 

What are some goals you hope to achieve?

I hope to continue music directing and conducting major theatrical productions while developing more of my own work as a composer and writer. One of my greatest goals is to create original musicals that can reach families and young audiences, including stories that reflect my Korean heritage, my faith, and the experiences of immigrant families.

 

What do you love most about what you do?

I love the moment when all the separate pieces become one story. A composer may have written the music, an orchestrator has shaped its colors, musicians are playing it, performers are singing it, and a director has created the world around it. As a music director, I get to stand in the middle of all those elements and help them breathe together.

I also love that theatre is never created alone. Even after many years, it still feels miraculous when a room full of people brings something to life that none of us could have created individually.

 

If you are a music director, what is it like to take over a long-established show, and how does your learning process differ from mounting a new show?

When joining an established show, my first responsibility is to understand and honor what already exists. I study not only the written score, but also the production’s musical language, traditions, and many details that may not be fully represented on the page. I try to understand why each choice is there before bringing too much of myself into it.

With a new musical, the process is much more exploratory. The score may continue changing in rehearsal, and the music director helps discover what the show wants to become. You are not only learning the music—you are helping build its musical vocabulary and solve its storytelling challenges. I love both processes: one requires careful stewardship, while the other invites invention.

 

If you’ve crossed the table from performing to music directing, conducting, or writing/composing, what made you take the leap, and how did it change your way of thinking?

For me, it did not feel like one dramatic leap. I began as a composer, but playing piano led to rehearsal work, rehearsal work led to music directing, and music directing led to conducting and arranging. Each role grew naturally from the one before it.

 

How do you think your creative process has changed over time?

When I was younger, I often waited for inspiration and wanted every idea to feel special from the beginning. Over time, I have learned that creativity also requires discipline, patience, and a willingness to rewrite. Sometimes the best idea does not arrive first – it appears after you have written several ideas that do not work.

My creative process has also become more collaborative. I no longer think of changing an idea as giving something up. Often, another person’s question or perspective helps me discover what the piece was trying to become all along.

 

What inspires you?

I am inspired by stories of people finding courage, identity, faith, and belonging. I am especially drawn to stories that bring different cultures and generations together. My faith, my Korean heritage, my experience as an immigrant, and my life as a mother all shape the way I hear and create music.

 

Do you have any side projects you’d like to highlight?

My husband and I founded Victory Path Productions, where we create original music and musicals for children and families. Much of the work is inspired by our Christian faith and our desire to make meaningful, high-quality theatrical material that children can genuinely connect with.

 

If you come from parents who aren’t in the arts, what parts of them do you see in yourself that have helped you succeed in the business?

My parents were not professional artists, but I see their perseverance, discipline, and willingness to sacrifice in the way I approach my work. They taught me to take responsibility seriously and to keep going even when the outcome is uncertain. Those qualities have been essential in a career where opportunities are unpredictable and every new production requires you to prove yourself again.

 

What other instruments have you played or learned to play besides your main instrument?

Piano is my primary instrument.

 

To find out more on Sujin Kim-Ramsey, please visit her at:

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sujinkimramsey/