Cello with Caroline K.

An avid performing artist, Canadian cellist Caroline Kim is a versatile performer as well as a motivating pedagogue. She completed her Doctoral of Musical Arts degree from University of Michigan in 2019. Over the past decade, she has given performances across the United States, Canada and South Korea in many prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center in New York City, in addition to other cities such as Calgary, Aspen, Estes Park, Santa Barbara and Innsbrook. After immigrating to Canada from South Korea at the age of eight, she made her national debut performance in her hometown, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 2011 playing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the Calgary Youth Orchestra. Thereafter, she went to New York City to study at the Juilliard School with Richard Aaron, where she obtained both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees as a graduate of the Accelerated BM/MM program. Dr. Kim is currently the principal cellist of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.Previously, she has served as the principal cellist of the Juilliard Orchestra from 2012- 2016; New York String Orchestra Seminar in 2014; Music Academy of the West in 2012; and assistant principal in the Aspen Music Festival 2013-2015. As a soloist, Dr. Kim enjoys playing music from the broad spectrum of classical music history as well as exploring different genres of music. As cellist of the newly formed Ciel Ensemble, she has given numerous concerts in South Korea’s most prestigious venues such as Seoul Arts Center and Lotte Concert Hall. The Ciel ensemble also recently was awarded 2nd prize at the Lancaster International Piano Festival’s 2021 Chamber Music Competition. She is the teaching assistant to Richard Aaron at the University of Michigan and has given masterclasses at the Juilliard School, University of Michigan, and Indiana University String Academy. In January to May 2020, she taught at the University of Michigan as lecturer while Richard Aaron was on sabbatical. Dr. Kim’s students have successfully auditioned as principal and section cellists of regional youth orchestras and All-State Orchestra. Her students have also won national and international competitions such as the Charleston International Music Competition, American Protégé International Piano & Strings competition, Crescendo Internatonal Competition, and Golden Classic Music Awards.