Violinist David Kim was named Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1999. Born in Carbondale, Illinois, he started playing the violin at the age of three, began studies with the famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the age of eight, and later received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from The Juilliard School. In 1986 he was the only American violinist to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and in 1990 was a prize winner at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.

Mr. Kim is founder and artistic director of the Kingston Chamber Music Festival at the University of Rhode Island (founded in 1989).  He also holds the position of Special Guest Artist there, and was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts in 2001.  Mr. Kim devotes a portion of his schedule each year to bringing classical music to children.  In conjunction with the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, Mr. Kim founded an annual outreach program that has taken him to elementary schools, performing and speaking about classical music in an effort to cultivate future audiences.  To date, he has performed for well over 12,000 young people in the State of Rhode Island.  He also visits schools in the Philadelphia area each season. 

Mr. Kim appears as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra each season as well as with numerous orchestras around the world.  Conductors with whom he has performed include Christoph von Dohnanyi, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Andrew Litton, Peter Oundjian, and Wolfgang Sawallisch.  He also appears internationally at festivals such as Kuhmo (Finland), Pacific (Japan), and Seattle. 

As a twelve year old Mr. Kim appeared with Itzhak Perlman as the subject of "Prodigy", a WNEW-TV (New York) production, and has since been featured nationally in specials on the CBS, NBC, and PBS networks.  He has also been featured prominently on National Public Radio and in Newsweek magazine.  His instrument is a J.B. Guadagnini from Milan, Italy ca. 1757 on loan from the Philadelphia Orchestra. He resides in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife Jane and daughters Natalie and Margaret.  He is an avid golfer, wine lover, and sports fan.