Jonathan Kim began his cello studies with the Buffalo Suzuki Strings program and has since built a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, appearing in venues across the United States and Canada. He is a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the Crane Concerto Competition, the Richard Stephan Chamber Music Competition, and the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition, and is a two-time winner of Stony Brook University’s Lauren V. Ackerman Chamber Music Competition.

Jonathan is a founding member of the Rhodora String Quartet, winner of the Ackerman Competition in 2025, and is mentored by the Emerson String Quartet. The quartet served as the first Winter Ensemble in Residence at the Manchester Music Festival in 2026 and has participated in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s masterclass series with Ani Kavafian. In addition to his work with the Rhodora Quartet, Jonathan is a member of the Mysé Piano Quartet, which was selected to participate in Gilbert Kalish’s Piano Chamber Music Intensive Seminar, and he regularly appears as an artist in Concordia Conservatory’s Hoch Chamber Music Series. 

Throughout his musical journey, Jonathan has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Peter Wiley, Hsin-Yun Huang, Philip Setzer, Paul Neubauer, Jennifer Frautschi, Lawrence Dutton, and his current mentor, Colin Carr. He has participated in major festivals including the Manchester Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Festival Orford Musique, Domaine Forget International Music Festival, and the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.

A devoted music educator, Jonathan is passionate about passing on the knowledge and inspiration he has received from the many distinguished pedagogues who have shaped his development. His principal teachers include Colin Carr, Paul Watkins, David Finckel, Richard Aaron, and Marie-Elaine Gagnon, and he has also studied Suzuki pedagogy with Dr. Tanya Carey. Jonathan currently serves on the faculty of the Concordia Conservatory and maintains a private cello studio with students across Long Island.

Jonathan is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Stony Brook University and a member of the Emerson String Quartet Institute. He earned his Master of Music degree from Stony Brook University in 2022 and his Bachelor of Music degree from the Crane School of Music in 2020. He currently performs on a cello crafted by and generously loaned to him by violinmaker James McKean.