South Korean violinist Sarang Seohyun Kim was revealed as a rising star on the international stage when she became the youngest-ever winner of the 2023 Tibor Varga International Competition at only 14. Prior to this, she had already won first prize at the Ysaÿe International Music Competition in 2021 as well as the Cooper International Competition in 2022, making her the youngest winner in the competition's history.

 

Born in 2008, Sarang garnered attention for her extraordinary performance of the Sibelius Concerto at the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Concert, conducted by Jaap van Zweden in 2025. In 2026, she made her debut with the WDR Sinfonieorchester at the Cologne Philharmonie under Andris Poga, alongside cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, and had a tour in Germany and Korea. She also performed with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields at the Tonhalle Zurich as an Orpheum Foundation Young Soloist. Other recent performances with orchestras include the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in Tallinn, Hungary's Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra at Müpa Budapest under Gilbert Varga, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Basque National Youth Orchestra, Canton Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, as well as several Korean orchestras including Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean National Symphony Orchestra and KBS Symphony Orchestra etc.

 

She is also quite active in the recital and chamber music scene. Her recital appearances include debuts at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, Kumho Rising Star Concert, Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago. She has played chamber music with Gidon Kremer, Miklós Perényi, and Lawrence Power at the Kronberg Academy's Chamber Music Connects the World Series. More recently, she has collaborated with Daishin Kashimoto, Alessio Bax, Clara-Jumi Kang and Sunwook Kim at the Incontri in Terra di Siena. In 2025/2026, she was selected for the Orpheum Foundation’s Young Soloists, which included a performance with Julia Fischer and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

 

 

Sarang Seohyun Kim, who previously studied with Sunny Lee at the Seoul Central Conservatory, is currently studying as a young soloist at the Kronberg Academy under Mihaela Martin. She receives support from the DAEWON Cultural Foundation and AJU Group and plays a 1753 G.B. Guadagnini generously loaned by the Tibor Varga Family.