Hugh Hodgson School of Music Hires New Cello Faculty

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music announces James Kim as the new Assistant Professor of Cello. Kim will begin this teaching as UGA begins the 2024-25 academic year. Kim will take over for Professor of Cello David Starkweather, who is retiring at the end of spring academic year after 41 years at the University of Georgia.

“James Kim brings an exceptionally high levels of artistry and teaching to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty, and we look forward to welcoming him to the Hodgson school and UGA,” said Director Pete Jutras, “We are excited to see the impact he will have on our students and programs.”

Kim holds an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, where he served as Studio Teaching Assistant to Joel Krosnick, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music, where he was a Teaching Fellow. 

“I am proud to join the incredible faculty of Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the vibrant campus of University of Georgia,” said Kim. “It is my honor to be part of a community that not only achieves excellence but also participates in society within and beyond its state borders. I look forward to guiding students toward their goals and sharing the lessons I’ve learned in the process.” 

Praised for possessing “admirable purity of tone and accuracy” (James Oestreich, The New York Times) and hailed as a “miracle” (Harris Goldsmith, New York Concert Review), James Kim has performed concerti with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony and Royal Philharmonic, working with conductors David Zinman, Michael Sanderling, Alexander Shelley, Keith Lockhart, Tan Dun, and others, making appearances at Stern Auditorium, Zankel Hall, and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and at Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall in Boston. He has given solo recitals at Carnegie Weill Hall, The Greene Space, and Kumho Art Hall. His performances have been broadcasted on radio stations NPR and WQXR. 

In his native Korea, he has appeared as soloist with Daegu, Korean, Gwacheon, and S.O.N.G. Symphonies; Incheon, Daejeon, and Goyang Philharmonics; and TIMF and KBS orchestras, engagements which have brought him to Seoul Arts Center, Lotte Concert Hall, Tongyeong Concert Hall, Daegu Concert House, and DITTO Festival.

A champion of Korean composer Shinuh Lee, Kim premiered her Cello Concerto with Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra in 2021. In the same year, Sony Classical released his album Death and Offering presenting her works dedicated to him. Last December, he gave a recital of works from the album at IBK Chamber Hall of Seoul Arts Center.

Winner of the 2006 David Popper International Cello Competition and Salon de Virtuosi’s 2012 Sony Career Grant, Kim is a top-prize and special-prize winner of the 2015 Isang Yun International Cello Competition. From 2016 to 2021, he performed on a Matteo Goffriller cello from Venice ca. 1715, generously loaned by Samsung Cultural Foundation and Stradivari Society® of Chicago, Illinois. In 2022, he served as guest principal cellist of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Kim regularly gives guest lectures at Seoul National University’s College of Music. His co-edition with Daniel Morganstern of the Locatelli Sonata in D Major for cello, published by International Music Company in 2020, provides his technical guidance in its preface. Under his tutelage, his private students have won top prizes at major international cello competitions.

Kim’s full biography and samples of his work can be heard on his website jameskimcello.com.

Photo by Yulmu Utility Room.