Lauréate de l’audition nationale des services artistiques Astral en 2003, Mme Min Ji Kim a commencé le violoncelle à l’âge de 6 ans. À 17 ans, elle est entrée à l’Université nationale coréenne des arts, jeune prodige. Après avoir obtenu sa licence, Mme Kim a poursuivi ses études musicales au Conservatoire de Nouvelle-Angleterre de Boston. Grâce à une bourse complète, elle y a obtenu son diplôme d’artiste et son diplôme d’études supérieures. En 2005, Mme Kim a obtenu son diplôme d’interprétation professionnelle au Conservatoire de Toulouse (Paris) grâce à la bourse Frank Huntington Beebe. Mme Kim a remporté le premier prix de nombreux concours nationaux coréens, tels que les concours de musique Dong-Ah Newspaper, Joong-Ang Newspaper, Han-Kook Newspaper et Cho-sun Newspaper, le grand prix du concours de musique Nan-Pa, un grand prix du Concours de musique des jeunes de Séoul organisé par KBS, ainsi qu’un premier prix du Concours de la Fondation internationale de musique coréenne à Los Angeles, aux États-Unis. Kim a été la seule Coréenne à être invitée à se produire et à recevoir une bourse du concours international de violoncelle Emanuel Feuermann à Berlin, en Allemagne. Elle a remporté la 2e place au concours international de violoncelle Premio Arturo Bonucci en Italie, la 3e place au concours national de violoncelle Adaminter en Nouvelle-Zélande et le grand prix du concours de cordes de la vallée de l’Hudson à New York, du concours de cordes du conservatoire de Nouvelle-Angleterre et du concours international de violoncelle HAMS. Elle a également reçu le premier prix et le prix spécial pour une œuvre commandée pour le concours international de cordes Irving MKlein à San Francisco, et une demi-finale au concours de violoncelle Rostropovitch en France, au concours de violoncelle Pablo Casals en Allemagne, au concours de violoncelle Paulo en Finlande et au concours Naumberg à New York. Mme Kim s’est produite avec de nombreux orchestres à travers le monde, notamment divers orchestres symphoniques coréens tels que le KBS Symphony, le Suwon Philharmonic, le Seoul Philharmonic, l’Incheon Philharmonic et le Seoul Academy Symphony. Mme Kim a joué avec de nombreux orchestres à travers le monde, notamment divers orchestres symphoniques coréens tels que le KBS Symphony, le Suwon Philharmonic, le Seoul Philharmonic, l’Incheon Philharmonic et le Seoul Academy Symphony.
he appreciative audience seemed to sink into the beauty and challenge of the music. There were moments of dissonance and tension and others of mellifluousness that begged us to shut our eyes and dream.
-The Boston Globe-
Cellist Min-Ji Kim made her US debut in 2003, winning the Astral Artistic Services National Audition. At the age of 16, she entered Korea National University of Arts as a young prodigy. Upon the completion of her undergraduate degree in 2000, Ms. Kim went on to attend New England Conservatory, where she successfully completed her Masterâs Degree, Artist Diploma and Graduate Diploma under full scholarship. In 2005, she was selected to receive the scholarship offered by Huntington Beebe Fellowship and was able to complete Professional Performance Degree at Toulouse Conservatoire.
In Korea, Ms. Kim received first prizes in music competitions held by Dong-Ah Newspaper, Joong-Ang Newspaper, Han-Kook Newspaper and Cho-Sun Newspaper and also won grand prix awards at Nan-Pa Music Competition and Seoul Youth Music Competition held by KBS. Also, she was the first Korean to receive scholarship from the world-renowned Emmanuelle Foyer International Cello Competition out of the 12 participants invited from around the world. She won 2nd place at the Premio Arturo Bonucci International Cello Competition in Italy, 3rd place at the Adam International Cello Competition, grand prix awards at the Hudson Valley String Competition, New England Conservatory String Competition and HAMS International Cello Competition. Not only did she release her music as the winner, she also won the first prize and an additional prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work at Irving M. Klein International String Competition. Ms. Kim performed with many orchestras around the world and also performed several solo recitals at the Philadelphia Kimmer, Trinity Center, Jordan Hall in Boston and Gardner Museum in Boston. Her live recital was also broadcasted on the Chicago Myra Hess Concert Series and WMFT Chicago Radio station.
Ms. Kim has been invited to collaborate with major orchestras both in Korea and from around the world, such as the Haddonfield Symphony, Hudson Valley Symphony, Marin Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra, Gunsan Philharmonic Orchestra, Chungnam Philharmonic Orchestra, Daegu MBC Symphony Orchestra, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra and more, where she continued to strengthen her career as a soloist.
She also participated in the complete Beethoven symphonies and concertos at the Seoul Arts Center with the Principal Conductor Dae-Jin Kim and the Suwon Philharmonic, performed complete Beethoven-Brahms series with world-renowned pianist Dong-Il Han and successfully completed the national tour recital with Tae-Hyeong Kim, who is considered to be the representative pianist of the next generation. As well as continuing to perform actively, holding a successful recital with Ilya Rashkovsky, a great young maestro from Russia, for example, she was also invited to symphony festival to collaborate with Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra where she reaffirmed her position as a soloist.
She was the first Asian to serve as the Assistant Principal of Reina Sofia Orchestra led by Lorin Mazzel and she also the Festival Orchestra prodigy at Seoul Arts Center and a professor at KyeMyung University. Currently, she is the Music Director of Deoksugung Palace Seokjojeon Classical Concert, the Principal of the Cellista Cello Ensemble and a professor of instrumental music at the College of Music, Seoul National University.