Sijun Kim

South Korea

City of residence: Berlin

Age: 23

“It feels like the violin is my second voice. Through it, I can sing and speak freely, expressing whatever I want. That sense of freedom is what I love the most about playing the violin.”

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Sijun Kim began playing the violin at the age of five and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin under Kolja Blacher. In Korea, he studied with Nam-Yoon Kim and Jung-Hyun Kim, attending the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts from 2015 to 2019. In 2020, he entered the Korea National University of Arts through its early admission program for young talents and graduated early in 2023.

It is Sijun’s aunt, an amateur violinist, who insisted that he start playing the violin. “She believed that learning the violin, especially for young children, could help develop a child’s intelligence. Apparently, the first time I picked up the violin, I was able to play the correct notes in response to whatever my aunt sang. She thought I was a genius and took it as a sign of musical talent.”

Recognized early on for his outstanding technique and depth of musical expression, Sijun Kim gained attention through numerous competition victories and made his debut as a Kumho Young Artist at the age of fifteen. In 2025, he won first prize at the MIMAS International Violin Competition and received the Hasselburg Kammermusik Preis. In 2022, he was a finalist of the Seoul international Music Competition, after winning first prize at the DongA Music Competition in 2020.

Now based in Europe, Sijun continues to expand his artistic horizons through performances in Romania, France, and Italy, further developing his own musical identity. The invitation from the Concours 2026 brings him to North America for the first time.

He performs on a French violin made by Joseph Bassot in 1789, kindly on loan from the Casals Music Foundation in Korea.