Violinist David Kim was named Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1999. Born in Carbondale, Illinois in 1963, he started playing the violin at the age of three, began studies with the famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the age of eight, and later received his bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School. In 1986 he was the only American violinist to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
As a highly sought-after pedagogue, Mr. Kim presents masterclasses at schools and institutions such as Juilliard, the New World Symphony in Miami, Yale, the Korean National University of Arts, and universities and colleges across the United States. He also serves as Artist in Residence at Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia. In May 2011, Mr. Kim delivered the commencement address to the Eastern University graduating class and was conferred the Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa.
Highlights of Mr. Kim’s 2011-2012 season include multiple performances of the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 3 and all the violin solos from the complete Brandenburg Concertos with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vivaldi Four Seasons as conductor and soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Carter Brey and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic; and concerto appearances with orchestras in California, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Korea.
Mr. Kim was founder and, for 20 years ending in 2008, artistic director of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival at the University of Rhode Island, from which he was also awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts in 2001. In conjunction with the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Mr. Kim founded an annual outreach program that took him to elementary schools, performing and speaking about classical music in an effort to cultivate future audiences. In the state of Rhode Island alone, he performed for well over 12,000 young people during his tenure there. Mr. Kim continues to devote a portion of his schedule each year to bringing classical music to children and visits numerous schools in the Philadelphia area each season.
Mr. Kim appears as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra each season as well as with numerous orchestras around the world. Conductors with whom he has performed include Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Myung Whun Chung, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Rafael Frubeck de Burgos, Vladimir Jurowski, Peter Oundjian, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. He also appears internationally at festivals such as MasterWorks (USA) and Pacific (Japan), and is a member of the Kumho Art Hall Chamber Music Society in Korea.
The latest additions to Mr. Kim’s discography are The Lord Is My Shepherd, a collection of sacred works for violin and piano with pianist and composer Paul S. Jones and Encore, a collection of recital favorites with pianist Gail Niwa.
In 2008, Mr. Kim was awarded the C. Hartman Kuhn Award, which is given annually to “the member of The Philadelphia Orchestra who has shown ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the standards and the reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.” The award was established in 1941 and the recipient is selected by the music director each year. He also serves as a member of the orchestra’s Board of Directors.
His instrument is a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, Italy ca. 1757 on loan from the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Kim resides in a Philadelphia suburb with his wife Jane and daughters Natalie and Maggie.
For more information, please visit www.DavidKimViolin.com
The opening recital was performed by David Kim, violin and Steven Thomas, piano.
Mr. Thomas had the pleasure of working with David when David was a student of his at Williamsville North High School.
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