Young-Nam Kim, Artistic Director

Noted by the New York Times for “sparkling virtuosity, strong colors and intense lyricism,” violinist Young-Nam Kim has appeared widely in the United States and Europe in summer festivals including Marlboro, Colorado, Sion, Sienna and Tanglewoodwhere he received the Joseph Silverstein Prize. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and those of Seoul, Pyong-Yang, Alabama, Binghamton, Brockton, Columbus, Detroit, Lausanne (Switzerland), Rochester, Spokane, and Syracuse among others, and appeared widely inrecitals including Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center.  In addition to the standard repertoire, Mr. Kim has premiered more than fifty works by important composers of today. He also served on the jury of many competitions including the LipizerInternational Violin Competition in Italy.

Mr. Kim, who soloed with the Seoul Philharmonic while still in his early teens, moved to the United States while still in high school and studied primarily with Louis Krasner in Syracuse and Boston.  His other teachers include Felix Galimir in New York and ZinoFrancescatti in Switzerland.

Founder and Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota, Mr. Kim frequently performs in concerts with such distinguished artists such as Leon Fleisher,  Robert Mann, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Samuel Rhodes, Charles Neidich, Fred Sherry, Yo-Yo Ma and others. In 2001 Mr. Kim was the artistic director with Yo-Yo Ma for the “Hun-Qiao” project, to commemorate the Asian Tragedies of World War II. The gala event presented the world premiere of four commissioned works by eminent American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean composers.

Mr. Kim's recording of two violin concertos written for him by Gunther Schuller and Peter Child with the MIT Wind Ensemble was released on Innova Records in the fall of 2004 to much critical acclaim.

In April of 2004 Young-Nam Kim made a historic appearance representing the U.S. in Pyongyang, North Korea, performing four concerts in the International Spring Arts Festival. He was invited again in 2008 and 2012 to appear as the soloist with the Pyongyang National Symphony.

For over a decade Mr. Kim was a faculty member and head of chamber and contemporary music activities at Gunther Schuller’s Festival at Sandpoint. He is also founder and director the Northern Lights Chamber Music Institute/Festival held annually in August at Camp Vermilion near Cook, Minnesota.

From 1980 to 2018, Mr. Kim was on the faculty of University of Minnesota where co-directed the New Music Ensemble in addition to teaching his violin studio, and was named the University’s Distinguished McKnight Scholar in 1999. He received a Presidential Outstanding Community Service Award in 2000. Prior to coming to Minnesota, he was an Artist-in-Residence and a faculty member of Bowling State University in Ohio where he performed widely as a member of the Bowling Green String Quartet and in a duo with pianist-composer Paul Schoenfield.

In December 2001 Mr. Kim was honored as one of six and the only musician to be named “Artist of the Year” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Young-Nam Kim resides in St Paul with his wife, Ellen, and together are very proud parents of three young professionals.