David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra

September 10, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

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.

Highlights of Mr. Kim’s 2015-16 season includes teaching/performance residencies at Oberlin College, Bob Jones University, and The Boston Conservatory of Music, continued appearances as concertmaster of the All-Star Orchestra on PBS stations across the USA and online at the Kahn Academy; recitals, speaking engagements, and appearances with orchestras across the United States; multiple solo performances with the The Philadelphia Orchestra including the Brahms Double Concerto, the Beethoven Triple Concerto, and a New Year’s Eve performance of the Meditation from Thais with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting; and the launching of the first annual David Kim Orchestral Institute of Cairn University in Philadelphia where he is also a Professor of Violin Studies.

Mr. Kim appears as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra each season as well as with numerous orchestras around the world. He also appears internationally at festivals such as Brevard, MasterWorks (USA) and Pacific (Japan). Mr. Kim has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia, the University of Rhode Island, and Dickinson College.

His instruments are a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, Italy ca. 1757 on loan from The Philadelphia Orchestra and a Michael Angelo Bergonzi from Cremona ca. 1754. Mr. Kim resides in a Philadelphia suburb with his wife Jane and daughters Natalie and Maggie. He is an avid runner, golfer, and outdoorsman.