About Connor Kim…

Connor is currently a junior at Los Gatos High School. Inspired at the age of five by the sound of his kindergarten teacher’s playing, Connor decided to pursue a passion for music and the cello, and two years later started his studies under the tutelage of Mrs. Kyeong Hwa Kim.

Among his many awards, Connor received First Place from the Chinese Music Teachers Association of North California, and was a winner of the Menuhin-Dowling Nueva Competition. Connor has performed with the El Camino Youth Symphony and the California Philharmonic Youth Orchestra after winning their respective concerto competitions. In 2009 as a winner from the Y.E.S. Foundation, Connor won the Margaret Brady Study Grant and was chosen to participate in the Junior Bach Festival in both 2009 and 2012. In 2010 Connor won the Nafisa Taghioff Award (reserved for performers under 16) from the Fremont Symphony Young artist Competition, and last year took First Place in the competition performing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto. During the same year, Connor was a semifinalist in the Johansen International Competition in Washington D.C.

Connor has also participated in various summer music programs including three consecutive years at the internationally acclaimed Hotchkiss Summer Portals on full scholarship. there he was able to collaborate with such artists as Ida Kavafian, Melvin Chen, and the Shanghai, Miami, Miro and Brentano Quartets. During his last year at Hotchkiss, Connor had the opportunity to solo with Ida Kavafian performing Piazzola’s Orteño Norteño. Last year Connor participated in Yellow Barn’s Young Artist Program, where he received a master class from cellist Peter Stumpf.

Along with music, Connor enjoys watching movies, traveling and spending time with his family and friends.