Describing the artistry of violinist Hye-Jin Kim, Winner of the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, The Strad lauded her “... heart-stopping, unrivaled beauty... supremely musical playing, well-thought out, yet of the moment.” Ms. Kim’s sensitivity to the expressive and contextual components of the violin repertoire enables her to transport audiences beyond mere technical virtuosity, and this remarkable musical depth and passion led to her First Prize at the 2004 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition when she was only nineteen.
Highlights of her 2011-12 recitals include performances on the Kravis Center Young Artist Series in West Palm Beach, LeFrak Hall at Queens College’s Copland School of Music, Howland Cultural Center for the Patrons for Young Artists Series, and the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock. With orchestra, she will be the featured concerto soloist with the Greenwich Village Orchestra (NY), Minnesota Sinfonia (Minneapolis), East Carolina University Symphony Orchestra (North Carolina). Also this season, she will tour with Musicians From Marlboro and Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove.
Ms. Kim has performed as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach and the New Jersey Symphony led by Gerard Schwarz as well as with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Pan Asia Symphony (Hong Kong) and the Hannover Chamber Orchestra, where she led the ensemble in Mozart’s A Major Concerto at age 12. She has appeared in major venues across North America, Europe and Asia, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Kimmel Center Verizon Hall, Salzburg’s Mirabel Schloss and St. John’s, Smith Square, London. At the invitation of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, she was honored to perform at the U.N. Headquarters in both Geneva and New York. Ms. Kim has also served as a cultural representative for Korea in Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan through concerts and outreach opportunities.
In addition to her prizes in the CAG and Menuhin Competitions, Ms. Kim has also won the Philadelphia Orchestra Concerto Competition, the Virtuosos of the 21st Century in Moscow, and was awarded the Kay H. Logan Chamber Music Award. A rising force in the chamber music world, Ms. Kim’s festival appearances have included Marlboro, Ravinia, Music from Angel Fire, Music at Menlo, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival, Madison (GA) Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music at Gretna, and Prussia Cove’s Open Chamber Music. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Paul Biss, Miriam Fried, Gilbert Kalish, Kim Kashkashian, Ida Kavafian, Jaime Laredo, Menahem Pressler, Mitsuko Uchida, and the members of Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami, and Orion String Quartets.
Dedicated to engaging local communities to share her music, Ms. Kim strives for a more direct presence with audiences via more intimate concert appearances. These efforts have included concerts for public school students, performances for people with special needs, and frequent programs for senior citizens.
Born in Seoul, Korea in 1985, Hye-Jin Kim began her violin studies with Dong-Hyun Kim at the age of 8. When she was 14, Ms. Kim entered The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying with Jaime Laredo and Ida Kavafian. She earned her Masters degree studying with Miriam Fried at Boston’s New England Conservatory as a recipient of NEC’s prestigious Emma V. Lambrose Presidential Scholarship. She is Assistant Professor of Violin at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and serves on faculty at Bard College Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division. Ms. Kim plays a Gioffredo Cappa violin, crafted in Saluzzo, Italy in 1687.
Beyond her musical activities, Ms. Kim is an avid reader of classic literature, with particular interest in the writings of 19th century British authors. During her travels, she has toured the homes and haunts of the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and C.S. Lewis. Her blog, A String of Notes, can be found at http://astringofnotes.wordpress.com/.