Jonah Kim

Biography
Born in Seoul, Korea, cellist Jonah Kim immigrated to the United States at the age of seven. His father, a pastor at a Korean Presbyterian Church in New York, introduced Jonah to the cello that same year. Despite having no formal musical training, Jonah's father possessed a keen ear for music, and he coached Jonah playing the cello. Jonah figured things out quickly by watching and imitating Pablo Casals from VHS tapes of his performance of Bach’s Solo Cello Suites. Within a year, Jonah was accepted to the Juilliard School Pre-College Division with full scholarship where with Ardyth Alton he began his first professional training, including how to read music. During his first year at Juilliard, Jonah was unsure whether the cello and classical music were really for him. He was attending a New York City public school, learning to speak English, and adjusting to life in the United States. Jonah and his father wrote to Janos Starker at Indiana University for advice. Starker's invitation for Jonah to perform was pivotal, inspiring the young cellist to continue his studies. Starker later remarked, "Jonah is an exceptional talent. He is at the top of his generation.” Two years later, just before his tenth birthday, Jonah was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. During his six years there, he studied under Peter Wiley, Lynn Harrell, and Orlando Cole, who wrote, "[Jonah] is one of the most accomplished cellists I have taught in my sixty five years on the Curtis faculty.” He has also participated in masterclasses with cellists Joel Krosnick, Timothy Eddy, Stephen Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Marcy Rosen, Andre Diaz, and Ron Leonard among others. Jonah made his debut with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2002 after winning the first prize at the Philadelphia Orchestra's Albert M. Greenfield Competition. He also performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at its pops concert entitled “Stars of Tomorrow” in 2003, on which Joseph McLellan of the Washington Post wrote "[Jonah] sounded like the next Yo-Yo Ma." Since then, he has performed with Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Redlands Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Jonah has given recitals at the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), the Kravis Center (West Palm Beach), and the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.). He has also appeared in radio and TV programs at WHYY, WITF, MPBN and WXEL, NBC and CBS. During summers, Jonah performs and participates in the Atlantic (Maine), Encore (Ohio), Lancaster (Ohio),Killington (Vermont), Sarasota (Florida), and Kneisel Hall (Maine) music festivals. Jonah’s passion for chamber music began when he collaborated with his peers at Curtis. He has performed most of the standard piano trio literature with violinist Chen Xi and pianist Yuja Wang. His mentors at Curtis include Joseph Silverstein, Aaron Rosand, Ida Kavafian, Gary Graffman, and Seymour Lipkin, as well as the Guarneri, Emerson, Vermeer,and the Takacs string quartets. Since his graduation from Curtis in spring of 2006, Jonah has been dividing his time between New York City, San Francisco and Miami. Jonah is managed by Modu Music Co.Author: J. Cook
No Frame

Biography

Concerts
February 24, 2013Sunday, 4pmRecital with pianist Lio KuokmanTennessee Williams TheatreKey West, FLMarch 18, 2012Sunday, 3pmRecital with pianist Claire HuangciBob Burton Performing Arts CenterFallbrook, CAMarch 16, 2012Friday, 8pmRecital with pianist Claire HuangciOld First ConcertsSan Francisco, CAFebruary 26, 2012Sunday, 3pmRecital with pianist Claire HuangciThe Phillips CollectionWashington D.C.February 13, 2012Monday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseSpanish River ChurchBoca Raton, FLFebruary 7, 2012Tuesday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseSpanish River ChurchBoca Raton, FLFebruary 6, 2012Monday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseBroward County Performing Arts CenterFt. Lauderdale, FLFebruary 5, 2012Sunday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseSpanish River ChurchBoca Raton, FLFebruary 4, 2012Saturday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseBroward County Performing Arts CenterFt. Lauderdale, FLFebruary 2, 2012Thursday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseBroward County Performing Arts CenterFt. Lauderdale, FLFebruary 1, 2012Wednesday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseSpanish River ChurchBoca Raton, FLJanuary 31, 2012Tuesday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseBroward County Performing Arts CenterFt. Lauderdale, FLJanuary 30, 2012Monday, 8pmSaint-Saens Concerto with Symphony of the Americas conducted by James Brooks BruzzeseBroward County Performing Arts CenterFt. Lauderdale, FLJanuary 29, 2012Sunday, 3pmRecital at the Chopin Foundationwith Geoffrey Loff, pianoMiami, FLJuly 29, 2011Friday, 8pmHungarian RhapsodyLancaster FestivalLancaster, OHJuly 22, 2011Friday, 8pmChopin and Popperwith Judy Lynn Stillman, pianoLancaster FestivalLancaster, OHJune 28, 2011Tuesday, 7pmSchubert "Arpeggione" Sonata - Barber "Dover Beach"Borodin Piano QuintetFaculty Concert Series - Stringendo School for StringsPalm Beach Atlantic University - Helen K. Persson Recital HallWest Palm Beach, FLJune 21, 2011Tuesday, 7pmBrahms Piano Quartets with members of Atlanta Symphony,members of the Cleveland Orchestra and Tao Lin, pianoFaculty Concert Series - Stringendo School for StringsPalm Beach Atlantic University - Helen K. Persson Recital HallWest Palm Beach, FLJune 14, 2011Tuesday, 7pmMendelssohn D minor Trio - Schubert "Trout" Quintetwith members of the Bergonzi Quartet and Tao Lin, pianoFaculty Concert Series - Stringendo School for StringsPalm Beach Atlantic University - Helen K. Persson Recital HallWest Palm Beach, FLNovember 7, 2010Sunday, 2pmRecital with pianist Sean KennardTerrace TheaterJohn F. Kennedy Performing Arts CenterWashington D.C October 10, 2010Sunday, 3pmElgar Concerto with Redlands Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jon RobertsonBob Burton Performing Arts CenterFallbrook, CA October 9, 2010Saturday, 8pmElgar Concerto with Redlands Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jon RobertsonUniversity of RedlandsRedlands, CA September 28,2010Tuesday, 7:30pmRecital with pianist Tao LinAmarnick-Goldstein Hall, Lynn UniversityBoca Raton, FLJuly 29,2010Thursday, 8pmTchaikovsky Rococo Variations with Lancaster Festival Orchestra conducted by Gary SheldonLancaster Festival, Lancaster, OHJuly 24,2010Saturday, 8pmWebber Paganini Variations with Lancaster Festival Orchestraconducted by Gary SheldonLancaster Festival, Lancaster, OH

Palm Beach Symphony
Palm Beach Symphony
Palm Beach Symphony
Palm Beach Symphony

Concerts

Gallery

Listen

Live Performance

"One of the most accomplished cellists I have taught in my sixty five years on the Curtis faculty."- Orlando Cole (1908 ~ 2010)"All cellists should hear [Jonah] play. I am stunned!"- Lynn Harrell "Jonah is an exceptional talent. He is at the top of his generation."- Janos Starker"I have never heard a better, more musically satisfying performer."- Laszlo Varga "Jonah is the most outstanding cellists I have ever heard... he has technical command of the instrument that is remarkable and an innate sense of musicianship that makes him a compelling performer."- Elmar Oliveira ____________________________________________ "[Jonah] sounded like the next Yo-Yo Ma."- Joseph McLellanThe Washington Post"Bold, melts into lithe finger work, glistening - never over-played; lush without being maudlin, graceful without sentimentality... played the Dvorak concerto as if he composed it on the spot from his own heart... he sank into Dvorak's love songs with divine artistry and impeccable technique, and synergized totally with the orchestra. Artistry aside, Kim's articulate technique elevated the work beyond poignant. Amazing double-stop work, exact octaves, clean, clear notes in high and low registers, articulate arpeggios - the audience was blessed to textbook-perfect technique. Ah, but Kim's phrasing took us beyond the moment; with light fingering that seemed to barely touch the strings, slight hesitations, breathless lifts, he instilled magic. And then he played Paganini. After 45 minutes with a tough concerto, he unassumingly settled into a cello performance of Caprice No. 24, composed for violin, and left the audience in a second spontaneous standing ovation. All of Paganini's work is practically impossible to play on the violin, let alone on the cello. In the words of principal second violin Art Svenson, Kim is "from another planet."Nothing we could have done could show enough appreciation for what he brought to the audience at this amazing moment."- Sherli LeonardThe Press-Enterprise "Kim has a thorough command of his instrument, with a large, accurate technique, a highly tense lyrical style, and a willingness to hammer the cello with forceful bowings if need be. By contrast, he played the long lines of the second movement with restraint and a kind of trembling subterranean emotion that was very effective; in the third-movement cadenza [of the Shostakovich cello concerto], Kim showed he could handle its wide range of drama, from near-static introspection to frenzied mania."- Greg StepanichPalm Beach Daily News "The amazing young cello soloist Jonah Kim... I couldn't possibly be more excited, or more appreciative of this exceptional concert! A once-in-a-lifetime experience! It seemed to me that Mr. Kim experienced a number of ecstatic moments during the Dvorak cello concerto - and he took me with him!"- Jane Lorenz Village News

Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations with Lancaster Festival Orchestra conducted by Gary Sheldon

Rococo-Part1
Rococo-Part2

Watch

Borealis Music Society - Jonah Kim - Bach - Chaconne Part I
Borealis Music Society - Jonah Kim - Bach Chaconne - Part 2
Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata III Mvt Jonah Kim & Lio Kuokman recording session

Love

PBAU

094
234
156
104
132
111
215
246
242
278
279
057

Beach

291
289
295
329
332
297
355

Lancester

522
523

PBAU
Beach
Lancester

Listen
Watch
Love

Shop

Page 1

Sprezzatura CD

Jonah Kim, cello Lio Kuokman, piano 1. Sgambati - Serenata napolenata 2.Chaminade - Serenade espagnole 3.Popper - Serenade 4.Popper - Wie einst in schoner'n tagen 5.Popper - Mazurka 6.Popper - Fantasie uber kleinrussische lieder 7. Rachmaninoff - Cello Sonata III Mvt 8.Chopin - Cello Sonata III Mvt 9.Chopin - Nocturne in Eb Major10.Paganini - Caprice No.9 11.Paganini - Caprice No.24 12.Seyfried - Cradle Song 13.Grant - Waltz for Betz

$15
Handel: Adagio Allegro

Transcribed for Cello

$15
Chopin: Piano Concerto Op.11

II movement trancribed for 4 Celli

$15
Bach: Chaconne

Transcription for Cello

$15