Excellence in Action

Faculty: Soovin Kim - violin

American violinist Soovin Kim is increasingly sought after for the character, nuance, and excitement of his performances as concerto soloist, chamber musician and recitalist, both in the U.S. and abroad. Particularly known for his breadth of repertoire, Soovin Kim typically takes on everything from Bach to Paganini to the big romantic concertos to new commissions. The 2007-08 season includes performances of Brahms and Sibelius concertos, the three Brahms sonatas with his duo partner Jeremy Denk, several programs of solo Bach, the premiere of a string trio by Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer, an octet tour with his own Johannes Quartet and the Guarneri Quartet premiering works by Esa-Pekka Salonen, Derek Bermel, and William Bolcom, and a tour with pianist Mitsuko Uchida performing Messiaen’s Quatuor pour le fin du Temps. 

Soovin Kim will release his second recording with Azica Records in 2008, a French album of Fauré and Chausson with Jeremy Denk and the Jupiter Quartet. His first CD with Azica Records, Niccolò Paganini's demanding 24 Caprices for solo violin, was released in February 2006 and was named Classic FM magazine’s Instrumental Disc of the Month (“he emerges thrillingly triumphant…a thrilling debut disc.”).
 
In past seasons, Mr. Kim has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Stuttgart Radio Symphony, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra. He has given solo recitals at Weill Hall in New York, Terrace Theater in Washington D.C., Ravinia, Tokyo’s Casals Hall, and the Seoul Arts Center. He maintains a close relationship with the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.
 
In 2005, Soovin Kim was awarded the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and previously he received the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award and first prize at the Paganini Competition. In addition to his discs with Azica Records, he released a CD with Stomp/EMI of four commissioned works by Korean composers written for and performed by his groundbreaking ensemble MIK (“Made in Korea”). He made recent recordings with cellist Janos Starker of string quintets of Boccherini and Schubert and with cellist Lynn Harrell of the Arensky cello quartet, both released by Delos. He made his first recording with Jeremy Denk for Koch-Discover in duo works by Schubert, Bartók, and Strauss.