Minju Kim

As a violinist, violist, and an educator, Dr. Minju Kim leads a multifaceted career spanning education, performance, and social advocacy. With a genuine commitment to education and to musical excellence, she continues to cultivate a career in both teaching and performing by fostering the growth of aspiring musicians while maintaining an active presence on the concert stage. 

Dr. Kim is an Assistant Professor of Violin at the Boston University School of Music. She has held esteemed faculty positions at institutions such as the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Program and was previously the Chair of the String Area and Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Akron School of Music. Dr. Kim's past experiences include teaching at institutions such as the Festival del Lago International Academy of Music, Encore Chamber Music, Community Music School at Oberlin College, IU Summer String Academy, and as an Assistant Instructor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and giving classes at Fredonia SUNY, University of Montreal, Portland State University, University of Texas San Antonio, Drake University, Ohio University, Miami University, Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra and others. Dr. Kim's pedagogical experience also extends beyond traditional settings, as she has worked with programs such as Habitat4Music and Fairview Violin Project, providing extracurricular music education programs to underfunded public schools.

Her music philosophy emphasizes the transformative power of music and its ability to connect communities. Combining her passion for arts education and social advocacy, Dr. Kim founded and directs the Third Culture Ensemble. This initiative unites professional musicians, music students, and local arts and social organizations to use music as a means of serving diverse communities. The ensemble's commitment to programming diverse repertoire as well as highlighting social issues such as homelessness and incarceration reflects Dr. Kim's vision of reshaping the social role of classical music, broadening the concert experience, amplifying the voices of underrepresented composers, and promoting unity and inclusivity.

Throughout her career, Dr. Kim has actively performed as a chamber and orchestral musician, both at home in North America and on international stages including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Severance Hall. She has been a frequent guest artist at Festival de Febrero, Artosphere Music Festival, Strings Music Festival, Britt Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, and Caroga Lake Music Festival and has enjoyed extensive collaborations with esteemed members of The Cleveland Orchestra, Manhattan Chamber Players, Gryphon Trio, and other notable musicians. She was a former member of the Jankovic Ensemble for string quartet and guitar and has traveled with the Khemia Ensemble and A Far Cry, with her performances reaching a wider audience through broadcasts on media platforms like American Public Media's Performance Today, WCLV, WQXR, and Grammy-nominated album, Canto America. Previously, she served as the second violin principal of CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra and former acting concertmistress of the Evansville Philharmonic, and she continues to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra, Met Opera, and Pittsburgh Symphony.

Beyond her musical pursuits, Dr. Kim brings a holistic approach to her artistry by incorporating her background as a certified ELDOA practitioner and yoga enthusiast into the music world. Her passion for promoting musicians' well-being, mind-body health, and injury prevention has led her to conduct regular ELDOA workshops at music institutions and summer festivals.

Dr. Kim received her Doctor of Music in violin performance with a minor in music education from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she was a recipient of Artistic Excellence Award and Assistant Instructor Fellowship and where she studied under Mauricio Fuks, the late Ik-Hwan Bae, Grigory Kalinovsky, and the Pacifica Quartet. Her doctoral dissertation, focusing on the works of Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, showcases her commitment to highlighting the contributions of living female composers. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Paul Kantor. She also had the opportunity to study under Nam-Yun Kim, Stanley Ritchie for baroque violin, and Alexander Kerr and Stephen Rose for orchestral repertoire. The foundation of her early musical education was solidified under the guidance of Henri Gronnier at the Colburn School.

Away from music, she enjoys spending time learning design, listening to Audibles, running, practicing yoga, hiking, and being in nature.