University News

Benny Kim and the Miami String Quartet Nov. 17

November 15, 2010

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MACOMB, IL – A special engagement of the renowned Miami String Quartet, including internationally-acclaimed violinist Benny Kim, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17 in the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) Recital Hall at Western Illinois University.

The Bureau of Cultural Affairs (BCA) Masters of Chamber Music Series show at Western is a preparatory performance for their Friday, Nov. 19 concert at Carnegie Hall.

Violinist Benny Kim and his brother, cellist Eric Kim, both Macomb High School graduates, performed last spring in Macomb as part of the BCA season. They are the sons of Hyung Ja Kim of Macomb, who was an assistant professor of piano and voice in Western's music department, and the late Hei Chu Kim, a sociology professor at Western.

A bachelor's and master's degrees graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, Benny Kim made his solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) at age 16. As a high school student, he was concertmaster of WIU's Symphony Orchestra. Kim was a winner of the 1983 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Julius Stulbery String auditions and the Chicago Symphony Youth Auditions. He performed a total of nine times with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO); the last time was when the CSO played for Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson's second inauguration and Kim had a solo number.

The Miami String Quartet is a faculty in-residence ensemble of The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University (Kent, OH). The Quartet tours extensively throughout the United States and Europe. During summers, the Miami String Quartet has served as resident ensemble at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival in Ohio as well as appearing at Chamber Music Northwest, Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Virginia Arts Festival and festivals in La Jolla, Santa Fe, Pensacola and Brevard.

Members of the Miami String Quartet include Ivan Chan, violin; Cathy Meng Robinson, violin, and a founding member of the Quartet; Yu Jin, viola; and Keith Robinson, cello, and a founding member of the Quartet. Kim steps in when Chan or Robinson are unavailable.

In 1980, Kim became the only musician in history to win the Young Artist award in St. Louis and the Women's Association of St. Louis Symphony Scholarship in the same year. After his double victory, a rule was implemented to prevent this rare achievement, so more artists would be recognized.

Throughout his illustrious career, Kim has performed as a soloist with such well-known orchestras as Boston, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Hong Kong and South Africa. He also participated in the Korean International Festival. In recital, he has performed in virtually every major city, including two critically acclaimed recitals at the 92nd Street Y in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has collaborated with many contemporary leading artists, including Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Jaime Laredo, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Ida Kavafian.

Kim appears with Salerno-Sonnenberg on two recordings for EMI, "Bella Italia" and "Night and Day." Benny also gives masterclasses throughout the world; since 1995, he has been on the faculty at the UMKC Conservatory of Music. Kim plays a Stradivarius violin, dated 1732.

Tickets – $15 general admission, WIU students free with ID – are available through the Hainline box office, telephone (309) 298-2900, from noon-5 p.m. weekdays, or go online to purchase tickets at wiu.edu/BCA and click on "Get Ticket."

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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