Joo Kim joined the first violin section of the St. Louis Symphony in September of 2004 while completing the Master’s program at the Juilliard School. Joo made her solo debut with the Saint Louis Symphony in 2008 performing Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate. Since then, she has returned as a soloist with the orchestra on multiple occasions, presenting works by Piazzola, Vivaldi, and Tchaikovksy.
Joo has performed as a soloist with the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra, New World School of the Arts Orchestra in Miami, Florida and the Sebastian Chamber Ensemble in Korea. Her solo and chamber music appearances have been presented in numerous prestigious venues, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Aspen Music
Festival and Lincoln Theater in Miami Beach. As a chamber musician, Joo has collaborated with
renowned artists such as Andres Diaz, Ricardo Morales, and Lev Polyakin.
Joo began her violin studies at the age of four in Seoul, Korea. At the age of six, she won
the Korea Times Music Competition and had a subsequent performance live broadcast on
Korean national television. After moving to the U.S. in 1992 she continued her violin
studies at the New World School of the Arts in Miami. Joo earned her B.M. and M.M.
Degrees from The Juilliard School where she studied with legendary pedagogue Dorothy
Delay as well as with Naoko Tanaka. Her other principal teachers include Todd Phillips, Felicia Moye, and Ivan Chan. She has served as concertmaster of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra in Japan and the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra. Joo also toured with the Grammy award-?winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra as guest principal and held the same position with the Jerusalem International Symphony Orchestra in Israel. She has participated in numerous music festivals including Taos Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, Spoleto USA, Sun Valley Music Festival and Encore School for Strings.
Joo is a dedicated teacher whose students have been accepted to the finest
conservatories, universities, and summer festivals. She also enjoys her partnership with the St.
Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra as a regular coach and mentor for the first violin section.
Joo lives with her husband, St. Louis Symphony cellist James Czyzewski. She performs on a rare Italian violin made by Francesco Rugeri in 1694.