About Jun Kim

Commended as having snappy energy and a terrific ear for detail by Milwaukee Magazine, and as bestowing “stylish support” by the Baltimore Sun on Schumann Cello Concerto Recording, Korean-American Conductor, Jun Kim has extensively conducted orchestras in North America and Europe.

A prizewinner of the 2013 Orquesta de Cordoba International Conducting Competition in Spain, the winner of the 2015 American Prize in Opera Conducting, and the 2012 International conducting competition in Romania, as well as being the recipient of the 2018 Beethoven Conducting Prize by the European Music Academy. Jun Kim's conducting was aptly described by the Duluth News Tribune as "... emotions spilled wondrously.” In 2017, Jun Kim received an invitation to guest conduct the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the oldest orchestras in Europe, at Smetana Hall in the heart of the city in Prague, as a part of the Best conductor award at L’Academie Lyrique conducting masterclass in Vendome, France.

 The 2018 Beethoven Conducting prize award introduced him to the fore of Czech orchestra conducting, as he has guest conducted three concerts with the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in two cities in the Czech Republic.  Jun Kim was also a recipient of the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors scholarship. Having been selected as a Discovery Series Conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival under Maestro Helmuth Rilling, Jun Kim was then personally selected by Maestro Kurt Masur for the Kurt Masur conducting seminar in New York.  Jun Kim was invited as the guest conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, after winning the first prize winner of the 2018 inaugural Malta Philharmonic International Conducting Masterclass and Competition.

Since 2012, Jun Kim has been appointed as the Director of Orchestral Activities, Associate Professor of Conducting, and Music Director of the UW-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA,

Not one to rest on his laurels, Jun Kim founded the Washington Chamber Orchestra (WCO) - a chamber orchestra dedicated to its mission of making classical music easily accessible to everyone in the community - where his invaluable artistic evaluation of productions and projects are enjoyed in his role as Artistic Director. He conducts more than ten concerts in each subscription season, not only with world-renowned soloists but partnering with diverse communities, releasing a critically acclaimed debut CD. In 2019, Jun Kim will be conducting the Washington Chamber Orchestra during the final round of the 66th Washington International Competition at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington D.C.

 Jun Kim has appeared with orchestras such as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Duluth Symphony Orchestra and Richmond Symphony Orchestra in the U.S.A, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Canada, State Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra in Russia, Moravian Philharmonic in the Czech Republic, Timisoara Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the National Opera and Ballet in Constanta, Brasov Philharmonic, Pitesti Philharmonic, and Bacau Philharmonic in Romania, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Radom Chamber Orchestra in Poland, Orquesta de Cordoba, and Symphony Orchestra of Elche in Spain, Berlin Sinfonietta in Germany, Mahler Philharmonic in Austria, Coro Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela, Jakarta Symphony in Indonesia. Recently, Jun Kim was selected to participate at St. Magnus Festival in the U.K to work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He was also chosen to work with Cincinnati Symphony and the May Festival Chorus, and with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Marin Alsop. Equally at home as Opera Conductor, Jun Kim has conducted full stage opera productions of Verdi La Traviata, Puccini Suor Angelica, Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, La Clemenza di Tito, Ravel L'Enfant et Les Sortileges, Purcell Dido and Aeneas, and Offenbach’s La Perichole.

 Jun Kim has worked under the Maestros such as Dumitru Goia, Gustav Meier, and Markand Thakar. Other notable artists he has collaborated with include pianist Seong-Jin Cho (Gold Medalist, Chopin Competition), Yeol-eum Son (Silver Medalist, Van Cliburn and Tchaikovsky Competitions), Mikhail Petukhov (Winner of Queen Elizabeth competition), Hyesun Paik (Laureate of Tchaikovsky Competition), Yekwon Sunwoo (Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn Competition), Violinist Joshua Bell, Rachel Barton Pine, Sungsic Yang, Bomsori Kim, Clara-Jumi Kang (Gold medalist, Indianapolis Competition), Violist Richard O’Neill, Cellist Amit Peled, Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein (Gold Medalist, Nielsen Competition), Todd levy, Flutist Marina Piccinini, Soprano Donna Brown, Mezzo-Soprano Denyce Graves, Baritone Markus Eiche (Vienna State Opera), among many others.

Acclaimed violinist as well, Jun Kim graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, has a Master of Music from Indiana University, a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, and an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music.