Editing Joohyun Park

{{Crew Data|role=Musician, Pianist|imdb=3124171|site=https://parkjoohyun.com/|sortkey=Park, Joohyun|series=BAC}}'''Joohyun Park''' is a [[w:South_Korea|South Korean]]-born pianist, composer, and orchestrator who has worked extensively in [[w:Hollywood|Hollywood]] film music production and is best known for her solo piano interpretations of television and film scores, particularly her acclaimed recording of ''[[The Music of Battlestar Galactica for Solo Piano]]''.

== Background ==
Park was born in [[w:Kwang-Ju|Kwang-Ju]], [[w:South_Korea|South Korea]] and began studying music at age 6.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.last.fm/music/Joohyun+Park|title=Joohyun Park|publisher=Last.fm|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref> She received both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Piano from [[w:Yonsei_University|Yonsei University]] in Seoul, Korea, and a Bachelor's degree in Contemporary Writing and Production from [[w:Berklee_College_of_Music|Berklee College of Music]] in Boston.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Film-Music-Michael-Nyman-piano/dp/B00CNWE05O|title=Film Music of Michael Nyman for solo piano|publisher=Amazon|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

== Film Career ==
Park has worked as a score coordinator, pianist, orchestrator and assistant composer for numerous Hollywood productions, including ''[[w:Priest_(2011_film)|Priest]]'', ''[[w:The_Informers_(2008_film)|The Informers]]'', ''[[w:Drag_Me_to_Hell|Drag Me to Hell]]'', ''[[w:Creation_(2009_film)|Creation]]'', ''[[w:When_in_Rome_(2010_film)|When in Rome]]'', ''[[w:The_Black_Tulip|The Black Tulip]]'', and ''[[w:Love_Happens|Love Happens]]'', all composed by [[w:Christopher_Young|Christopher Young]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.last.fm/music/Joohyun+Park/+wiki|title=Joohyun Park biography|publisher=Last.fm|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref> She has also worked on additional productions including ''[[w:Catfish_(film)|Catfish]]'', ''[[w:The_Zoo_(TV_series)|The Zoo]]'', ''[[w:Life_Below_Zero|Life Below Zero]]'', ''[[w:The_Rum_Diary_(film)|The Rum Diary]]'', and ''[[w:The_Monkey_King_(film)|The Monkey King]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://buysoundtrax.myshopify.com/collections/digital-download-releases/products/music-from-the-dune-saga|title=Music from the Dune Saga|publisher=BuySoundtrax|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

In the 2009 horror film ''Drag Me to Hell'', Park was credited among the featured musical soloists alongside James Speight, while also serving as one of the score coordinators under composer Christopher Young.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2451128-Christopher-Young-Drag-Me-To-Hell-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack|title=Drag Me To Hell (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)|publisher=Discogs|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

== ''Battlestar Galactica'' Solo Piano Project ==
Park's most notable work in relation to ''[[Battlestar Galactica (TRS)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' is her collaboration with composer [[Bear McCreary]] on ''[[The Music of Battlestar Galactica for Solo Piano]]'', released by [[BuySoundtrax Records]] in 2011. The album features Park's piano interpretations of McCreary's acclaimed orchestral score from the [[Sci Fi Channel|SyFy]] series.

The project originated from McCreary's ''[[Battlestar Galactica Songbook]]'', published by [[Hal Leonard]] in 2011. McCreary personally selected Park for the recording project, stating: "My performances, though technically correct, are strongly influenced by the studio recordings I spent years producing. I was thrilled to collaborate with Joohyun Park because she breathed new life into these compositions. Under her expert fingers, these pieces thrive as works for solo piano, not just pared down versions of larger orchestrations."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bearmccreary.com/battlestar-galactica-solo-piano-cd/|title=Battlestar Galactica Solo Piano CD|author=Bear McCreary|date=2011-09-01|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

Park described her approach to the recording: "When I was recording, I was focusing on expressing the feeling of the original tracks from the point of view of a classical pianist. Powerful but not overwhelming, calm but not boring, executing those beautiful grooves with accuracy and making the aggressive passages sound truly massive."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://buysoundtrax.myshopify.com/products/the-music-of-battlestar-galactica-for-solo-piano|title=The Music of Battlestar Galactica for Solo Piano|publisher=BuySoundtrax|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

The two-disc album includes all arrangements from McCreary's songbook and features special guest performers, including mezzo-soprano [[Melanie Henley Heyn]], who originally performed "[[Battlestar Operatica]]" in the series' first season. McCreary himself appears on the track "[[Kara Remembers]]," which was conceived as a four-hand piano piece.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://buysoundtrax.myshopify.com/products/the-music-of-battlestar-galactica-for-solo-piano|title=The Music of Battlestar Galactica for Solo Piano|publisher=BuySoundtrax|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

The album package features exclusive liner notes by [[Randall Larson]] and original artwork by frequent ''Battlestar Galactica'' vocalist [[Raya Yarbrough]]. ''[[w:Variety_(magazine)|Variety]]'' called McCreary's original score for ''Battlestar Galactica'' "the most innovative music on TV today," while ''[[w:NPR|NPR]]'' described it as fitting "the action so perfectly, it's almost devastating: (it's) a sci-fi score like no other."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Music-Battlestar-Galactica-Solo-Piano/dp/B005TTQI0S|title=The Music Of Battlestar Galactica For Solo Piano|publisher=Amazon|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

== Other Notable Recordings ==
Beyond her ''Battlestar Galactica'' work, Park has recorded numerous solo piano interpretations of film and television music for BuySoundtrax Records and other labels:

* ''[[w:Joe_Hisaishi|Joe Hisaishi]]: Studio Ghibli Dreams'' - featuring themes from [[w:Hayao_Miyazaki|Hayao Miyazaki]] films
* ''Home Alone: The Classic Film Music of [[John Williams]] For Solo Piano'' - including themes from ''[[w:Home_Alone|Home Alone]]'', ''[[w:Jurassic_Park_(film)|Jurassic Park]]'', and other Williams compositions
* ''The [[w:Jerry_Goldsmith|Jerry Goldsmith]] Collection - Volume 2: Piano Sketches'' - collaborative album with pianists Dan Redfeld and Mark Northam
* ''[[w:Firefly_(TV_series)|Firefly]]: Music for Solo Piano'' - interpretations of [[w:Greg_Edmonson|Greg Edmonson]]'s score
* ''[[w:Michael_Nyman|The Film Music of Michael Nyman]] for Solo Piano''
* ''Music from [[w:The_X-Files|The X-Files]]: 20th Anniversary Celebration'' - serving as producer and arranger
* ''Music from the [[w:Dune_(franchise)|Dune]] Saga'' - featuring themes from multiple adaptations

Regarding her approach to television score adaptations, Park explained: "I always start a project like this studying the piano arrangement and the original soundtrack recording. Sometimes I follow my own interpretation and sometimes I perform it exactly the way it is."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://buysoundtrax.myshopify.com/products/firefly-music-for-solo-piano-music-composed-by-greg-edmonson|title=Firefly: Music for Solo Piano|publisher=BuySoundtrax|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

== Musical Philosophy ==
Park's interpretations of [[w:Michael_Nyman|Michael Nyman]]'s minimalist compositions demonstrate her approach to challenging musical styles: "Minimalism is emphasizing musical ideas by repetition with the very basic and little materials. Nyman is a minimal music composer and pianist with great passion. It was a challenge to express minimal music that was written by the person who invented the term, but his great music also gave my passion great momentum."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Film-Music-Michael-Nyman-piano/dp/B00CNWE05O|title=Film Music of Michael Nyman for solo piano|publisher=Amazon|access-date=2025-07-27}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Park's work represents a significant contribution to the adaptation of orchestral film and television music for solo piano, making complex orchestral scores accessible to individual performers while providing new interpretative perspectives on iconic compositions. Her collaborations span multiple decades of film and television music, establishing her as a leading practitioner in this specialized field.

== References ==
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== External links ==

* [https://parkjoohyun.com/ Official website]
* [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2v0b6Kf4ajqPx5xgKmXtyN Joohyun Park on Spotify]
* [https://www.last.fm/music/Joohyun+Park Joohyun Park on Last.fm]