David Kim
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 2022-23 season include multiple appearances as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra in Bach Brandenburg Concertos (McGegan) in Philadelphia, Kreisler (Denéve) at the Bravo! Vail Festival in Colorado, and the Tchaikovsky Concerto (Luisi) at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center; teaching/performance residencies at Georgetown University, The Juilliard School of Music, and the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne; solo appearances with orchestras, recitals, masterclasses, and speaking engagements across the United States; and festival appearances at Festival Napa Valley, Mainly Mozart (San Diego), and the Prague Summer Nights Festival in the Czech Republic. He will continue to appear as concertmaster of the 9-time Emmy Award winning All-Star Orchestra on PBS stations across the USA and online at the Khan Academy. Mr. Kim’s first book was released in 2022: The Audition Method for Violin, published by GIA Publications. This long-awaited collection of standard orchestral excerpts walks the reader through each work with David’s suggestions on execution, audition strategy, bowings and fingerings.
Mr. Kim is a frequent touring guest of famed modern hymn writers Keith and Kristyn Getty at venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall. Mr. Kim serves as Distinguished Artist at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon. He frequently serves as an adjudicator at international violin competitions such as the Menuhin and Sarasate and each season presents masterclasses at schools across the United States.
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 Francesco Gofriller ca. 1735. Mr. Kim exclusively performs on and endorses Larsen Strings from Denmark.
Mr. Kim resides in a Philadelphia suburb with his wife Jane and daughters Natalie and Maggie. He is an avid golfer and outdoorsman.
