Dennis Kim

Born in Korea, raised in Canada, and educated in the United States, Dennis Kim has held Concertmaster positions with orchestras around the world. He was first appointed Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony at the age of 22 and has since served in that role with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic in Finland, and the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Kim has also appeared as guest Concertmaster on four continents, performing with ensembles such as the Malaysia Philharmonic, Western Australia Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, KBS Symphony, and the Montpelier Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has collaborated with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Riccardo Chailly, Charles Dutoit, Riccardo Muti, Hannu Lintu, André Previn, and Sir Simon Rattle.

In the summer, Kim performs with the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra and serves as Concertmaster of the Peninsula Festival Orchestra in Door County, Wisconsin. As a recording artist, he can be heard on the soundtracks of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Jumanji: The Next Level, The Lego Movie 2, Moana 2, and The Man from Toronto. In August, Kim will join the faculty of the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive’s 3‑day Studio Intensive at Warner Bros. Studios—an immersive workshop where orchestral musicians gain hands‑on experience recording alongside Hollywood studio professionals.

A dedicated educator, Kim is Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of California, Irvine, and teaches at the Interlochen Arts Camp each summer. He has held faculty positions at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Korean National University of the Arts, Yonsei University, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, and the Seoul Arts Academy. His students have gone on to study at the Curtis Institute of Music, Colburn School, Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, and now perform with orchestras around the globe. Kim regularly serves on the panel of competitions around the globe, most recently serving as an adjudicator for the Dallas International Violin Competition.

An avid chamber musician, Kim is a violinist of Trio Barclay, the resident ensemble of the Irvine Barclay Theatre. The trio has commissioned over nine new works by living composers and will release its first commercial recording in 2025. Trio Barclay has performed internationally and recently provided the live score for Defining Courage, a film honoring the soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He also performs regularly with Orli Shaham and principal players of Pacific Symphony in the Café Ludwig series.

Kim made his solo debut at 14 with the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra and has since performed as a soloist with major orchestras throughout Asia. He appeared annually as a soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic, and Buffalo Philharmonic, in works by Bach, Brahms, Glass, Penderecki, and Seyfried. With Pacific Symphony, he has performed a wide range of repertoire, from Bach to Wineglass. Recent highlights include solo appearances with the Lebanon Philharmonic, the National Orchestra of Cuba, The Orchestra Now at Lincoln Center, and the Busan Philharmonic on its tour to Japan.

Kim is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Yale School of Music. His principal teachers include Victor Danchenko, Jaime Laredo, Aaron Rosand, Yumi Ninomiya Scott, Peter Oundjian, and Paul Kantor. He performs on the 1701 “ex-Dushkin” Stradivarius, on permanent loan from a generous donor.