Siwoo Kim – A Life in Music

Siwoo Kim is an acclaimed violinist recognized for his incisive artistry and expressive nuance. Described as “compelling” by The New York Times and praised for his “stylistic sensitivity” by the Chicago Tribune, Siwoo performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. He is also the co-founding artistic director of the VIVO Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Born in South Korea to parents who ran a music school, Siwoo began violin at the age of two-and-a-half. After immigrating to the U.S. at age five, he continued his musical studies with the support of his family, ultimately earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Juilliard School under Robert Mann and Donald Weilerstein.

Siwoo gave the world premiere of Samuel Adler’s violin concerto and recorded it on Linn Records to mark Adler’s 90th birthday. He made his concerto debut at Carnegie Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra and has since performed with numerous orchestras worldwide, including in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa.

As a chamber musician, Siwoo co-founded Quartet Senza Misura and has collaborated with renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Mitsuko Uchida, Joyce DiDonato, and members of the Juilliard and Guarneri Quartets. He has appeared at festivals including Marlboro, Tivoli, Bergen, Stellenbosch, and Fundación Juan March.

His accolades include the 2012 King Award for Young Artists and top prizes in competitions such as Corpus Christi, Juilliard, Ima Hogg, and Sejong. He is a former fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect and performs on a 1753 “ex-Birgkit” Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin on generous loan from Rare Violins In Consortium.

For more on Siwoo Kim’s music and upcoming performances, visit his website: www.siwookim.com