Two Asheville School students utilize musical talents around the world

Press release

From Asheville School

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (September 27, 2012) Two Asheville School alumni are quickly learning what it’s like to perform their music in front of a large television audience – one on a popular Fox Television show and the other on the Korean version of American Idol.

Both Patrick Darab, a 2005 Asheville School graduate from Hickory, NC, and Roy Kim, a 2012 Asheville School graduate from Seoul, Korea, made it through their auditions and on to the next round of competition on The X Factor and SuperstarK, respectively.

Darab’s band, Citizen, performed En Vogue’s Don’t Let Go in San Francisco. The group received a “yes” from L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato, and Britney Spears – advancing them to the next round. The judges noted that they really enjoyed the song choice, and complemented the group on their harmonies. Simon Cowell, the only “no” from the judges, argued that the performance was too dated, but luckily the group didn’t need his approval to continue in the competition. Watch their audition here. For more about Citizen, visit their YouTube channel.

While at Asheville School, Darab was involved in chorus, chapel choir, chamber choir, and several musicals during his high school career. His brother, Gabe, graduated from Asheville School in 2011 and his brother, Connor, is a member of the Class of 2014.

“I owe my success to Asheville School because of the transformation I made from a freshman to a senior. I was forced to gain independence and grow up. It was the best experience in my whole life,” Darab said.

Darab obtained his degree in Vocal Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He moved to California in 2010 to pursue his dream of performing. He has been on Glee, 90210, Outsourced, Make It or Break It, Pretty Little Liars, Glory Days and No Ordinary Family.

On the other side of the globe, Kim is experiencing similar successes. After four years of practice performing popular songs with his acoustic guitar in front of his Asheville School peers, Kim now finds himself enjoying celebrity status in Korea with a crowd of supporters eagerly anticipating his next appearance on Korea’s Superstar K.
“While watching many musicians from the last few seasons, I always had the dream of entering this show,” Kim said, who is taking a gap year from Georgetown University to pursue his music in Korea. “Luck gave me an opportunity and I grabbed it.”
Kim auditioned for the fourth season of Superstar K, and was chosen as one of the 100 (out of 2,100,000) contestants to perform at The Super Week on August 29.

His most recent competition was against Jung Joon Young, as they both sang Kim Kwang Seok’s Be Dust. Click here to watch a video of his performance.
Superstar K judge and recent YouTube sensation Psy (Gangnam Style) spoke highly of the performance. “They looked like professional singers. It was awesome. The song, rearrangement, eye contact, gesture, and everything was just perfect,” said Psy.

A nationally acclaimed co-ed college preparatory boarding and day school, Asheville School enrolls approximately 275 students from 26 states and 13 countries. Recent graduates are attending Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Caltech, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, Davidson, NC State, University of Virginia, Emory, Duke, and Wake Forest, among others.