Jonah Kim

Jonah Kim is an artist of great charisma and originality. His beauty of tone is immediately distinguishable by its signature sweetness. Kim invites the listener in with “the cosy warmth of a well-loved cashmere sweater," (Gramophone) then “dives into the music with courage underpinned by formidable technical prowess, with which he achieves a dazzling performance.” (All About the Arts)

Kim made his solo debut with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra at 12 years of age, and has since captured the hearts of audiences around the world. Beyond the stage, his recent recording of the Kodaly Solo Sonata is being praised for “[capturing] the very elusiveness that gives the music its substance” (Gramophone) and “flawless delivery of its Herculean technical demands... the sense of exhilaration in this performance has us on the edge of our seats.” (The Strad).

Named artistic director of Festival San Miguel de Allende in 2023, Kim is known for his unique programming, in which creativity and wide-ranging taste are guided by beauty.The presentations have been compared to “the masques of Henry Purcell or the Gesamtkunstwerk operas of Richard Wagner” (San Luis Obispo Review).

Kim is also cellist of Trio Barclay, ensemble-in-residence at The Barclay Theater in Irvine, California; the group commission and premiere a new work for every concert they perform on their home stage. The Trio also tours worldwide. This Veteran’s Day, the Trio appeared at the Kennedy Center in a live performance of "Our America: Defining Courage” alongside ABC-7 LA News anchor David Ono. This powerful documentary also aired on ABC that day and can now be streamed on Hulu.

In recent years, Kim has been artist-in-residence for a variety of prestigious and popular arts organizations including the iconic St. Ignatius Parish in San Francisco, the Fromme Institute at the University of San Francisco, designer Ken Fulk’s Saint Joseph’s Art Society, and violinist Scott Yoo’s highly regarded Festival Mozaic. Kim has frequently appeared on Yoo’s docu-series “Now Hear This” on PBS. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kim taught himself cello watching VHS tapes of Pablo Casals. He was awarded full scholarship to The Juilliard School at seven. That year, Kim became pen pals with the famed Janos Starker who invited him to Bloomington. He would continue to travel to Indiana to study with Starker throughout his career at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he enrolled at eleven. He was the first Fellow to train with all of the instructors: Orlando Cole, David Soyer, Peter Wiley and Lynn Harrell. Kim defines a truly American school of cello by reconciling the Italian, German, Russian, Franco-Spanish and Hungarian lineages.

“One of the very finest American cellists, he brings out things that you possibly never realized were in [the music]. He has that indefinable “it.” (Art Music Lounge) Kim makes his home in San Francisco with his wife, the respected and beloved American ballerina, Julia Rowe.