Jun Kim Profile 2.jpg

Jun Kim,

Artistic Director

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. 2018 Beethoven Conducting prize was awarded to him by European Music Academy 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 at 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 and UWM Opera theater at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA,

Not one to rest on his laurels, Jun Kim co-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.

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. 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 the Cincinnati Symphony and the May Festival Chorus, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Marin Alsop.

Equally at home as Opera Conductor, Jun Kim has conducted full-stage opera productions of Verdi La Traviata, Rigoletto, 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 Maestros such as Dumitru Goia, Johannes Schlaefli, Gustav Meier, Jorma Panula, Xian Zhang, and Markand Thakar. Notable artists he has collaborated with include Joshua Bell, Denyce Graves, Seong-Jin Cho (Gold Medalist, Chopin Competition), Yeol-eum Son (Silver Medalist, Van Cliburn and Tchaikovsky Competitions), Mikhail Petukhov (Winner of Queen Elizabeth competition), Haesun Paik (Laureate of Tchaikovsky Competition), Yekwon Sunwoo (Gold Medalist, Van Cliburn Competition), Rachel Barton Pine, Chee-Yun, Sungsic Yang, Bomsori Kim, Clara-Jumi Kang (Gold medalist, Indianapolis Competition), Richard O’Neill (Grammy Winner), Cellist Amit Peled, Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein (Gold Medalist, Nielsen Competition), Todd levy, Flutist Marina Piccinini, Soprano Donna Brown, Baritone Markus Eiche (Vienna State Opera), among many others.

Acclaimed violinist as well, Jun Kim studied with Miriam Fried, Victor Danchenko, and Won-Bin Yim and graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Music degree 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.