Meet the Performer:

Ariana Kim

Title: Assistant Professor of Violin, University of Indianapolis

You come from a family of violinists. What was it like growing up?

Well, there was never a dull moment!  I studied with only my parents until college, and although I wasn’t always a perfect student with them, because we were family, the level of dedication and care was limitless. I worked with my mother from the age of three to eight, and she provided me with a wonderful foundation; she specializes in teaching small children in the Suzuki Method. My dad, who is a violin professor at the University of Minnesota, then took over when I was eight and brought me through the more advanced literature of the Classical and Romantic eras. 

New York and San Francisco are both known as hotbeds of musical activity. Can you tell us about your studies there?

They were both wonderful and very different. The San Francisco Conservatory had a wonderful culture of camaraderie between students and faculty where music-making was truly nurtured, which provided me with a very sound and confident foundation for graduate school. Juilliard was then a wonderful “trampoline” into the professional world because of its close connections to the performing arts world of New York and helped to launch my career. 

Would you tell us about a career highlight?

Hmm…I feel like I have so many! I’ll give you a short list:
- Playing late Beethoven quartets as a small string orchestra under the direction of my former teacher, Robert Mann – the energy he exuded from the front of the stage combined with the divinity of Beethoven Op. 132 and 135 was indescribable.
- My first concert with my first full-time, professional quartet, the Five Points Quartet – working on and performing such sublime literature was entirely transporting.
- My Carnegie Hall debut – a recital in Weill Recital Hall (with pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute) was something that I always dreamed of doing, and to have it become a reality and to look out on so many loving faces in the audience, was very special.

How do you balance your teaching here at the University of Indianapolis with your performances elsewhere in the country and abroad?

I feel very grateful to have a wonderful mix of different opportunities. The flexibility of having private students allows me to shuffle individual students around on occasion when I’m needed for a rehearsal in Terre Haute or a concert in New York. I also take advantage of long weekends and University breaks to go on tour with my ensembles, which even allows for concerts in Europe.

You seem to have an affinity for challenging works by modern American composers like Elliott Carter, Andrew Imbrie, and Augusta Read Thomas. Did you grow up hearing and playing this music?

Yes, very much so. My dad is a huge advocate of new music, and has had relationships with many incredible contemporary American composers. He always encouraged me to listen to music of the 20^th and 21^st century with the same respect and interest as I did to the music of the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centuries, which helped to build my love for new music, and thus study works by composers such as Imbrie, Thomas, and Carter.

Any fun facts about yourself?

I love to do heated yoga and eat!

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