Esme Arias-Kim
violin
Violinist Esme Arias-Kim is currently studying at the Colburn Music Academy as a Kohl Scholar—a full room, board, and tuition merit scholarship—with Robert Lipsett. She previously studied with Almita Vamos and Betty Haag-Kuhnke. Most recently Arias-Kim received Silver Medal at the 2023 Stulberg International String Competition and Gold Medal at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s 29th Annual Young Artist Competition and will solo with the Vancouver Symphony this winter. She was also the winner of the Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition and will be soloing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the 2023-24 season as well as the Minnesota Orchestra after receiving first place in the YPSCA Young People’s Concerto Competition. Later this year she will solo with the Northwest Indiana Symphony and the New Philharmonic. Other first place awards include the Sphinx Competition, Southern California Philharmonic, Walgreens National, International Young Artist, Arthur D. Montzka, ASTA, Musicians Club of Women, Fox Valley, Enkor International, New York International Artist Association, Sejong, Confucius, DePaul Concerto Festival and Illinois MTNA competitions.
Arias-Kim made her solo orchestral debut at the age of 10 with the Oistrakh Symphony and has continued to make solo orchestral appearances with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Western Michigan University Symphony, Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, Southern California Philharmonic, New Philharmonic, Chicago Arts Orchestra, Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, Fox Valley Orchestra, Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, Midwest Young Artists Symphony Orchestra, Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra and Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni Orchestra, as well as solo recitals at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin, Chicago Cultural Center, 92Y New York and Musikferien at Starnberger See in Germany. Radio performances include a recital on Chicago’s classical radio station WFMT’s Introductions and NPR’s From the Top.
Arias-Kim has received masterclasses from Hilary Hahn, Midori Goto, Julia Fischer, Ian Swensen, Vadim Gluzman, Kirill Troussov, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Paul Huang, Fabiola Kim, Grigory Kalinovsky, Mihaela Martin, Ilya Kaler and Philip Setzer, as well as the Borromeo Quartet and Cavani Quartet. She is playing on a violin by Alfredo Contino 1920, courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago. Outside of music, she enjoys listening to true crime podcasts, visual art, cooking and writing.