Ben Kim

American pianist BEN KIM continues to prove himself an exceptionally gifted musician, through which his performances have gained a burgeoning international reputation for an uncommon maturity, integrity and insight. Ben Kim performs a range of repertoire spanning from Mozart to Schumann and Schonberg, as well as works by living composers, including Manfred Trojahn, Jacqueline Fontyn, and Frederic Rzewski. His interpretations have been lauded among critics and audiences alike, especially for their imaginative sensibility and fidelity toward the score.

In 2006 Ben Kim's budding career became a focus of international attention after he won First Prize in the 55th ARD Munich International Music Competition. It earned the attention of his legendary teacher and mentor, Leon Fleisher, who observed Ben's "enormous potential for a first-class career." He has garnered comparable critical acclaim for his engagements at such venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Berlin Konzerthaus, and the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, and at eminent festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, and Klavier-Festival Ruhr. Recent orchestral engagements include performances with the Bavarian Radio, Central German Radio, Baltimore, St Petersburg Hermitage State, and Ulsan Symphony Orchestras.

Ben has performed regularly throughout the USA, Europe, and East Asia, including his orchestral debut at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall with the Olympus Chamber Players in 2008 and at Suntory Hall in Tokyo in 2009. This past season Ben's itinerary included a 13-concert tour through Japan with the Brno Philharmonic, as well a number of debuts in Germany, including those at the Berlin Philharmonie, Stuttgart Liederhalle, and Leipzig Gewandhaus. He also performed reengagements with orchestras in Germany and at the Brno, Kissinger and Bowdoin Summer music festivals. He performed a series of concerts with the Jupiter String Quartet, one of America's leading young quartets and will perform a second series with the same group this season. Additionally this current season Ben will also make orchestral debuts in Japan with the Central Aichi Symphony at the Toyota City Concert Hall and in Korea with the Suwon Philharmonic at the Seoul Arts Center. He will also perform in the USA with orchestras including the Columbia and Olympia Symphonies. Ben's performances have been broadcast on Performance Today on NPR. Ben was also featured on PBS's Frontline/World, in addition to German (ARD), Polish (TVP), Czech (CT), and Korean (KBS) national TV. His debut recording of Chopin, Debussy, and Mozart for the Sony Classical label was released in May 2007 and Sony Japan in July 2009. Germany's illustrious Klavier-Festival Ruhr also issued a portrait CD of Ben after his performance at the festival became a surprise highlight of the summer in 2007.

Ben was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he began studying piano at age five with Dorothy Fahlman. Although he made his solo debut at age eight, his orchestral debut at twelve, and continued his studies in Oregon, he actively pursued other interests, including those in mathematics and writing, until he decided upon completion of his academic studies to follow his love for music. At age 20, Ben completed an accelerated Bachelor of Music degree program at the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Leon Fleisher. He continued his studies at Peabody with Mr. Fleisher together with Yong Hi Moon after graduating. Ben was selected to attend the International Piano Academy Lake Como in Italy from 2005-2007, a program for seven pianists, headed by Martha Argerich and William Grant Naboré, which, upon befriending a number of Italian students, led to his interest in Italian cooking. Ben currently resides in Berlin, most currently working with Klaus Hellwig at the Berlin University of Arts. On occasion, Ben enjoys taking opportunities to travel to destinations that don't call for a piano.