Short Biography

Hailed as a “miracle” by Harris Goldsmith of New York Concert Review and praised for possessing “admirable purity of tone and accuracy” (James Oestreich, The New York Times), James Kim has performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony and Royal Philharmonic, working with conductors including David Zinman, Michael Sanderling, Alexander Shelley, Keith Lockhart, and Tan Dun at Carnegie Stern Auditorium, Boston Symphony Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other venues. He has given solo recitals at Carnegie Weill Hall, Greene Space, and Kumho Art Hall. His performances have been broadcasted on radio stations NPR and WQXR. 

He has worked with numerous orchestras in his native Korea, appearing at Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Tongyeong Concert Hall, Daegu Concert House, and DITTO Festival. In 2021, he premiered Shinuh Lee’s Cello Concerto (1999/2021). In the same year, Sony Classical released his album Death and Offering presenting her works dedicated to him. In December 2023, he will perform works from the album in recital at IBK Chamber Hall at Seoul Arts Center.

He is a recipient of Salon de Virtuosi’s Sony Career Grant and a top prizewinner of Isang Yun and David Popper International Cello Competitions. From 2016 to 2021, he performed on a Matteo Goffriller cello from Venice ca. 1715, generously loaned by Samsung Cultural Foundation and Stradivari Society® of Chicago, Illinois.