Audition American Debut in Highlands

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: 2015/04 - April

In its 34 seasons, Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival has earned a reputation for introducing American audiences to the some of the world’s finest young musicians.

The 2015 season showcases the breathtaking arrival of violinist Roman Kim.

“I am absolutely thrilled that we will present the US debut of Russian violinist Roman Kim, perhaps the most outrageously talented violinist I have ever heard — he is being touted as ‘the new Paganini!’ This is quite a coup for the Festival,” says Festival Artistic Director William Ransom.

Kim will be performing solo violin on July 10 and 11 with Dr. Ransom on piano. On July 12 and 13, he’ll perform Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir de Florence”with violinist Sarah McElravy, cellists Yinzi Kong and Yang-Yoon Kim, and cellists Chris Rex and Edward Arron.

Despite his youth, Kim has won an international following with a series of YouTube performance videos demonstrating his fearless virtuosity, artistic enthusiasm and unrestrained energy. He is artistically focused on the major works by Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Brahms and Mendelssohn. But his most important inspiration are the life and the work of legendary violinist Niccolò Paganini. Following his idol he does not only energize original compositions, but also arranges complicated works of music literature for his instrument.

Jimi Hendrix is a further inspiration for Roman Kim. Hendrix encourages Kim to look beyond stylistic horizons and search for unheard sounds by employing unconventional means. As a composer, Kim does not submit to established schools and writes his music as he feels it.

Roman Kim received his first violin lessons at the age of five and at the age of seven he won first prizes in national competitions, which led him to the Central Music School in Moscow in 2000. With a stipend of the Mstislav Rostropovich

Foundation (2001 – 2008) he received teaching by Maxim Vengerov since 2007 and attended master classes with Midori Goto, Lewis Kaplan, Miriam Fried and Gidon Kremer, while continuing to play concerts in major halls of Russia, Western Europe and South Korea.

Roman Kim studied violin at the Central Music School in Moscow with Prof. Galina Turtschaninova. At the age of 16, he was admitted at the Musikhochschule Köln (Cologne College of Music), where he is currently studying with Prof. Viktor Tretyakov. In 2012 he won the First Prize of the 28th International Music Competition, “Valesia Musica.” As a winner of the Cologne International Music Competition (2011), he played with the WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne.

Throughout the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival’s 34th season, which stretches from July 5 to August 9, concerts will be held at 6:00 P.M. Fridays at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands and repeated at 5:00 P.M. Saturdays at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library in Cashiers. Sunday concerts will be staged at 5:00 P.M. at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands and repeated at 5:00 P.M. Mondays at the Cashiers Community Library.

For tickets or information about the 2015 season, call (828) 526-9060 or visit h-cmusicfestival.org.