Multi-award-winning international cellist Sarah Kim has performed with her idols around the world, under world-renowned conductors, and among the most prestigious orchestras. Now establishing herself in Los Angeles and working on a new recital series with the acclaimed pianist Sacha Slobodyanik, also known as an actor for appearing in the TV series "The Americans", the concert dates are yet to be revealed.
Let's discover Sarah’s musical journey to becoming the accomplished musician that she is today.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Sarah Kim began learning the cello when she was 8 years old. She grew up in a family of non-musicians, so a career in music wasn’t something she saw as an option early on. But the combination of her passion, talent, and determination decided otherwise.
I had a lot of interests as a child and in hindsight I really disliked and resisted the idea of being pigeonholed so early on. It wasn't until I was 16 or so that I realized that music and playing cello was such an integral part of who I am, that I wouldn't be able to continue playing cello in the way and at the level I needed to for myself, that pursuing music professionally was inevitable. It felt more like a realization than a choice. – says Sarah
Exhibiting prodigious talent, Sarah attained Associate and Licentiate Diplomas from the Australian Music Examinations Board by the age of 15 after being awarded a music scholarship to one of the country's premier private schools.
In 2007, she qualified for the Melbourne University High Achieving Student Program, allowing her to study towards a Bachelor of Music Performance degree while finishing her high school education. Her acceptance was one of only two in over a decade. The University of Melbourne awarded her the Lady Turner Exhibition for Developing Soloists during her time there.
After performing as principal cellist of the Richard Mills Chamber Orchestra, directed by Fionnuala Hunt (Artistic Director Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, recipient of Ireland’s ‘Spirit of Life Award’), when she was 18 years old, she was accepted on a full scholarship to the Advanced Performance Program at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), where she studied until 2011.
Under the direction of Anthony Pateras himself, she performed the world premieres of Pateras Double Concerto for Electric Violin and Spatialized Orchestra and Pateras Chromatophore, as well as the Australian premieres of Magnus Lindberg Violin Concerto.
Featuring world renowned violinist Pekka Kuusisto, she also performed Hietala's 'Great Mistakes' piano trio.
As a result of her national accomplishments, as well as her strong admiration for cellists such as Jean-Guihen Queyras, Steven Isserlis, and Rostropovich, Sarah Kim's career began to take an international turn when she was invited by prominent teachers to go and study in Europe.
Sarah chose to move to Freiburg, Germany in 2011 to study at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, with one of her idols, the internationally renowned and award winning solo cellist, Jean-Guihen Queyras, described by Sarah as “one of the best cellists in the world ; he really works to help his students understand the music so they are able to develop their own individual styles to be the best cellists and musicians that they can be.”
The Carl Seemann Prize for cello was awarded to her in 2012, and she was selected to perform and represent the school in Berlin that same year.
In 2018, after completing her Masters of Music, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust awarded her a professional development grant for a soloist diploma at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart with Professor Conradin Brotbek.
Sarah has been invited to perform alongside many of the world's most esteemed artists, and as a soloist for conductors such as Nicholas Milton (Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Award, New York Master’s Award in Conducting, Chief Conductor Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Conductor of the Croatian Chamber Orchestra and the Göttinger Symphony Orchestra), and as principal cellist under conductors including Daniel Harding (Berlin Philharmonic, Music Director Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Conductor Laureate Mahler Chamber Orchestra) and Simone Young (Chief Conductor Hamburg Philharmonic, first female conductor Vienna Philharmonic, first female Chief Conductor Sydney Symphony Orchestra).
A review of her performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto was published in the Reutlingen General Anzeiger, which quoted :
The young Australian cellist Sarah Kim played Elgar's Concerto for Cello... to her strengths. No superficial virtuosity was in question. Rather an intensive inward-listening. A warm, luscious sound, pain, searching and uplifting combined, developing from the inside out. An engrossing 'losing of one's' self' in one place and another. Sarah Kim gave with her authentic, unpretentious playing, above all, pose and line.
By 2017, Sarah had already performed in music festivals as a soloist, as a chamber musician as well as with her piano trio, Trio Bonnensis, throughout Europe and Australia (Piano Plus Festival, Beethoven Festival Bonn, International Musicians' Seminar Prussia Cove, Prades Festival Pablo Casals, Adelaide International Cello Festival, or the Melbourne International Arts Festival...).
In Germany for almost eight years, Sarah Kim had been mentored by some of the world's leading cellists and was already working professionally as a musician, when she realized that she needed a new challenge.
I realized that there was further development I wanted to achieve in my abilities and truly believed that Ralph was really one of the few people that could help me get to that next level.
Working with Ralph Kirshbaum was an incredible opportunity. He never let so much as the end of a note go unnoticed, he demanded such a high level from me that I never realized I could demand of myself and pushed me to believe that I was capable of something really exceptional. His experience and talent as a musician as well as as a teacher make him really one of a kind.“--says Sarah
A new star in Hollywood
Sarah Kim relocated to Los Angeles, USA, to work with Ralph Kirshbaum in 2019, having been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Southern California. Ralph Kirshbaum is not only one of the most celebrated cellists of our time but also one of the most highly regarded cello pedagogues in the world. Sarah was the sole student to be accepted into his studio in 2019.
Since moving to Los Angeles, Sarah has been performing regularly with not only the most prestigious orchestras in the city, but the most famous ones in the world : The Los Angeles Philharmonic, including performances and world premieres under some of the world’s leading conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen, Zubin Mehta and Gustavo Dudamel, at The Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as with the Los Angeles Opera, including recent performances of Wagner's Tannhäuser, 'The Brightness of Light' with Renee Fleming or Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The city of angels has proven to be a good fit for Sarah, who has been enjoying performing a diversity of music. She has performed with Hollywood stars such as Katy Perry, Hugh Jackman and for the Oscar screening of ‘Power of the Dog’ with director Jane Campion, but her personal highlights have been performing chamber music with LA’s most prominent musicians, such as pianist Sacha Slobodyanik, with whom she is preparing a new recital.
We played together for the first time earlier this year in a chamber music series and immediately clicked. He's such a wonderful musician and it’s rare to find someone that you feel you innately share an understanding of music with, it's a very refreshing and rewarding experience as well as such a fun time playing together.--says Sarah
The hard work, determination and ambition that Sarah Kim has shown throughout her life is certainly an inspiration. To all the inspiring musicians out there, she adds that "to stay true to yourself is the key to success. Figure out the reason you're a musician and what you love about it and don't lose sight of that! Music is an art and for that reason alone there are going to be a million opinions and critics, but if you can make music that is authentic to who you are it will be a lot easier to make music that is convincing and moving, and to be happy and fulfilled in your career”.
And If you were wondering, Sarah plays a cello made by Giovanni Grancino in 1706 made available to her by a private benefactor in Switzerland, as well a modern cello made especially for her by internationally-renowned instrument maker Ersen Aycan in 2012. Giovanni Grancino is considered to be one of the finest instrument makers of all time and his cellos are generally valued upwards of $500,000.
Photography by Pia Johnson 
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