David Kim is
an American violinist, writer, and pedagogue born (in Carbondale, Illinois) on May
24, 1963. He is known for being the
long-time concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. His tenure began in 1999 (at age 36) and he
ranks among historic concertmasters for longevity, along with Raymond Gniewek
(Met Opera), Glenn Dicterow (New York Philharmonic), Norman Carol (Philadelphia
Orchestra), Naoum Blinder (San Francisco Symphony), and Richard Burgin (Boston
Symphony). Kim’s playing has often been
described as elegant but he is equipped with a superb technique as well. As all concertmasters do, he has been soloist
with his orchestra many times and his solo repertoire is extensive. In addition to his duties as concertmaster
with the Philadelphia Orchestra, he is concertmaster of other orchestras (such
as the Aspen and the All-Star Orchestras), although (understandably) on a part
time basis. Kim began lessons at age
three, but I don’t know who his first teacher was. (For unknown reasons, most violinists leave
that information out of their biographies.)
He began classes with Dorothy Delay, a well-known teacher in New York at
age 8. Later, when he enrolled at Juilliard
as an adult student, his main teachers there were Delay and Felix Galimir. From that point, he took the career route
that hundreds of violin students take.
His goal after graduating from Juilliard (in 1985), as is the goal of many
graduates, was to become a touring concert artist – a soloist. That field is, and has always been, extremely
crowded with musicians who are seeking the same kind of spotlight. Sometimes, Fate smiles on you and you make it
into the top tier of soloists, say into the top twenty, and sometimes, it
doesn’t. When that doesn’t happen, you
must take an orchestral job which offers financial security. It is not a bad alternative, especially when
it comes to a position as concertmaster of a world class orchestra. In many ways, it is a far superior
alternative - financially, artistically, and personally - to a touring
life. (Emanuel Borok was earning
$800,000 as concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony before he retired in 2010. He could never have made that kind of money as
a soloist.) From an artistic standpoint,
concertmasters get to know dozens upon dozens of artists intimately, exchanging
stimulating ideas about music (old and new), teaching, careers, instruments, conductors,
and contacts among the world’s top artists.
Most concertmasters also enjoy teaching careers, and they get to play as
soloists in recital or with orchestras around the world. For Kim, being appointed concertmaster in
Philadelphia came after he had already gained experience playing as
concertmaster with other orchestras – those included the Dallas Symphony, the
Jupiter (New York) Symphony, and the Norwalk (Connecticut) Symphony. Kim’s orchestral life actually began at the
late age of 31 – most concertmasters begin in their twenties. (One of the youngest concertmasters in history
was Paul Kochanski, who became concertmaster of the Warsaw Philharmonic at age
14.) It is very rare for a concertmaster
to remain with the same orchestra for 25 years or more, but Kim has done it. Most jump from one concertmaster position to
another. Mischa Mischakoff was
concertmaster of ten different orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra
– I think he holds the record. Kim has
written a book – The Audition Method for Violin - published in 2022, which
guides aspiring orchestral players on the auditioning process. To say that Kim is a very busy concert
artist, adjudicator, teacher, chamber musician, festival director, and
recitalist is an understatement.
There is an abundance of information about him on the internet. Here is a YouTube video of his, playing a
slow movement from the Bach a minor Sonata for solo violin. His strings of choice used to be the
Thomastik Dominant brand but now he uses and endorses Larsen Strings. Among the violins Kim has played are a 1757 J.
B. Guadagnini, a Michele Bergonzi from 1754, and a Francesco Gofriller from
1735 – the dates given are approximations.
