Violinist Stephen Kim, 3rd Prize winner at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, 3rd Prize at the 2018 Premio Paganini International Violin Competition, and 2nd Prize at the 2016 Sendai International Violin Competition Stephen Kim joins us with collaborative pianist Ilya Friedberg with works of Chausson and Brahms.
Violinist Stephen Kim has presented in venues across North America, Europe, and Asia, recent seasons included seven performances of Brahms Violin Concerto during a two-week tour in Belgium, a two-month tour across the United States performing Mozart Violin Concerto #5, and multiple concert tours in Korea, Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao, and Belgium, as well as performances at the Verbier Festival Academy, Stradivari Society recital series, and Kingston Chamber Music Festival. Stephen also donated a performance in Seoul for disabled young musicians, as well as leading masterclasses, in an effort to inspire and spread a passion for music.
As a teen, Stephen won major prizes at the 2015 Seoul International Violin Competition and 2014 Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, and he has the distinction of being the first person in the Aspen Music Festival’s history to win all three of the festival’s violin competitions.
Stephen studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Joseph Silverstein, and Aaron Rosand. Recipient of the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Fellowship, Stephen was awarded the school’s 2018 Curtis/Milka Violin Artist Prize. Stephen currently studies at the Juilliard School with Hyo Kang.
Stephen plays the 1725 “ex-Moller” Guarnerius del Gesù, on generous loan from the Samsung Foundation of Culture of Korea and the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
Israeli Pianist, Ilya Friedberg has been described as an “Artist who puts his listener to a musical magic” by pianist Menahem Pressler. Ilya’s music has taken him to Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Jerusalem Theater, Small Philharmonic Hall of St. Petersburg, and various venues across United States, Russia, South Africa, Israel and Europe.Born in Moscow, Ilya stepped into the world of music by watching his mother teach piano. Soon after he started his education at Gnesin School of Music. After immigrating to Israel, he studied piano with Luisa Yoffi and was influenced by Lazar Bendersky and Vladimir Silva. He continued his education at Oberlin with Sanford Margolis and at Indiana University with Menahem Pressler. His other teachers are legendary jazz master David Baker, and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. Ilya is a passionate chamber musician and is a sought-after collaborator among the members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Carol Vaness, Timothy Noble, Mark Kaplan, Alissa Margulis, Alexander Buzlov, and Pacifica Quartet who described him as an “Exceptional chamber musician.” A sought after pianist in new music, Ilya has collaborated and commissioned new music from over 18 composers internationally. He has given masterclasses at Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel-Aviv University, Adamant Music School, and at Stellenbosch International Piano Competition where he was invited as a Jury Member. He served as Mr. Pressler’s studio and teaching assistant and is an active artist-faculty at Indiana University’s Summer String Academy, Sonad
Chamber Music Festival. Currently Ilya Friedberg is a faculty member at the Music Institute of Chicago.