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.
Mr. Kim’s 2024-25 season begins with teaching a one-week masterclass course in Brescia, Italy, as well as a solo appearance with The Philadelphia Orchestra in the “8 Seasons of Vivaldi and Piazzolla.” Among others, Mr. Kim’s masterclass and performance schedule will see him visiting the Peabody Institute of Music, The Manhattan School of Music, as well as concerto and recital appearances across the US. Chamber music and summer festival visits will highlight Aspen and Mainly Mozart in San Diego.
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 his suggestions on execution, audition strategy, bowings and fingerings.
Mr. Kim has frequently appeared with 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. He is also a regular performer around the nation at events for YoungLife, Illuminations, and The Gathering. Mr. Kim serves as Distinguished Artist at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He frequently serves as an adjudicator at international violin competitions such as the Menuhin and Sarasate.
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 from Venice, Italy ca. 1735. Mr. Kim exclusively performs on and endorses Larsen Strings from Denmark.
Mr. Kim is an avid golfer and outdoorsman.