About

Acclaimed as "one of the most talented young virtuosos of our time" (Saarbrücker Zeitung) and as “sound aesthete of outstanding quality” (Westdeutsche Allgemeine) violinist Christian Kim enjoys an extensive solo career, with performances throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia.

As a soloist and chamber musician, he performed in over 30 countries, which include recitals and solo performances with major Orchestras in venues such as the Lotte Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, International Forum Tokyo, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Gasteig Munich, Philharmony Odessa, and Polish Philharmony Gdansk.

He has appeared in broadcast and television productions of the WDR, SWR, and SR in Germany, NBC and CBS in the USA, NHK in Japan, as well as KBS, SBS, MBC, and CBS in South Korea.

His numerous national and international prizes include the 1st prize and a special prize by the Ministry of Culture for outstanding performance at the german national competition Jugend Musiziert, the 1st prize in the violin solo category, and the special prize as the best performer of all categories at the Concorso Musicale Europeo in Turin, Italy and further top prizes at the International Kocian Violin Competition in the Czech Republic and the Concours Europeen pour Jeunes Solistes in Luxemburg.

A deep passion for chamber music led to long-term collaborations with the esteemed ensembles Sejong Soloists, New York, and the Seoul Virtuosi, with performances throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia.

In 2016 Christian Kim joined the Berlin-based ensemble Symphoniacs, a collective of international soloists, who come together to fuse classical and electronic music. Their debut album, released under Universal Music in 2016, reached the Top 10 of the German Billboard Charts and topped the Billboard Charts in Japan upon release under Warner Music Japan in 2019. From 2017 till the beginning of 2020 their extensive touring schedule included performances at major classical concert houses across Europe and Asia, but also larger venues such as the Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and Mercedes Benz Arena.

From 2017 Christian Kim taught as professor for Violin and Viola major at Kangnam University in Seoul/South Korea. He has been a juror of the german national competition Jugend Musiziert and has given masterclasses and workshops across Europe and Asia. In recent years his students won top prizes at the german national competition Jugend Musiziert, and the prestigious Korean national competitions Mozart Competition Korea, Rising Stars Korea, and Nanpa Competition.

Currently, he acts as the Lead of Violin & Viola Content at tonebase.co, the premier platform for music education content in the world, and teaches violin major at Münster University of Music.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986, as a son of a German scientist and a Korean pianist, Christian Kim grew up in Germany. At the age of 10, he became one of the youngest pre-college students in the country. He graduated from the University of Music Karlsruhe, Germany, with a German Artist Diploma in 2010, holds a master's degree from Yale University, New Haven/USA, and a German Konzert Examen from the University of Music Detmold.

Among his teachers are world-renowned violinists such as Valery Klimov, Josef Rissin, Hyo Kang, and Koh Gabriel Kameda. He received further personal artistic guidance from Midori Goto, Maxim Vengerov, Antje Weithaas, Zakhar Bron, Shlomo Mintz, Boris Berman, Peter Frankl, and the Tokyo String Quartet.