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About Jonah

Photo © J.Bratton 2021 Bio © Naxos Music 2020 — Official site of cellist Jonah Kim
© 2021 Jonah Kim, all rights reserved; photo © 2021 M.Ebisuzaki

Jonah Kim is an artist of great charisma and originality. His tone is immediately distinguishable by its signature sweetness. His work is praised by critics and fellow musicians alike for his “flawless delivery of Herculean technical demands” (The Strad) and his thorough understanding and insight into the minds of composers. Aside from his cellistic prowess, he is widely regarded as one of the finest musicians in the world today. The Korean International Arts Review called him “Pablo Casals reincarnate”.

From a young age, legendary cellist Janos Starker placed him at the “top of his generation”. At only 12 years of age, Jonah made his solo debut with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Washington Post hailed him as “the next Yo-Yo Ma” at his National Symphony debut. He has since performed on the world’s most prestigious stages.

Jonah enjoys collaborating with friends like conductor/violinist Scott Yoo, host of the PBS hit docu-series Now Hear This, and Chee-Yun Kim (you may recognize her from her cameo on the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm). His trio with childhood friends Sean Kennard and Dennis Kim is in artistic residence at the Barclay Theatre in Orange County. Jonah is also artist-in-residence at Festival Mozaic, in San Luis Obispo, California.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Jonah trained at The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music. Jonah’s favorite cello is the award winning “Super Stella” built for him by Haide Lin in 2022, which he likes to pair with his favorite bow made in 1904 by Jules Fétique à Paris. He makes his home in San Francisco with his wife, American ballerina Julia Rowe.

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APPROACHING AUTUMN

with ROBERT KOENIG, pianist

KODALY, ABEL & GRIEG

STREAM ONLINE

“…flawless delivery of its Herculean technical demands… the sense of exhilaration in this performance has us on the edge of our seats.”
— Joanne Talbot, THE STRAD

“Impactful and dramatic.
[Kim’s] tone has the cosy warmth of a well-loved cashmere sweater.”
— Andrew Farach-Colton, GRAMOPHONE

“Kim dives into this music with courage underpinned by formidable technical prowess, with which he achieves a dazzling performance. Kim and Koenig partner beyond perfection… [they] prove to be the ideal interpreters of this music.”
— Rafael de Acha, ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

“Kim combines a gorgeous sound and elegance of phrasing… I would rate Kim as one of the very finest American cellists… Kim digs into this score; he brings out things that you possibly never realized were in it… he has that indefinable “it.”
— Lynn René Bayley, ART MUSIC LOUNGE

“Kim’s performance is outstanding – big, brash and gritty as called for in the outer movements; sensitive and lyrical in the Adagio (con gran espressione) – and his technique in this extremely challenging work is impressive.”

— David Olds, THE WHOLE NOTE

Also Available

RACHMANINOFF & BARBER: CELLO SONATAS
with SEAN KENNARD, pianist

“With his pulsating vibrato and intense expressivity, Kim asserts the cello’s eloquent personality throughout the varied atmospheres.”
— Donald Rosenberg, GRAMOPHONE

“A moving and musically satisfying performance... Kim’s full-bodied, rounded cello sound is ideal for the work’s Romantic lyricism and the energy and passion of his playing carry the listener along.”
— Janet Banks, THE STRAD

Cellist Jonah Kim and pianist Sean Kennard have been making music together since they were teenagers at the Curtis Institute of Music and together they have played almost every sonata in the standard repertoire. The Rachmaninoff Sonata and the Sonata by Samuel Barber hold a special place for them. Purchase the CD from Amazon or Delos directly as an excellent gift idea for any occasion!