Biography

Hailed as a “cellist with a warm and rich sound, combining playfulness with impeccable technique” (New York Concert Review), Gaeun Kim is renowned for her musicality, versatility, and stage presence. With over 130 performances annually, she is among the most in-demand musicians of her generation.

She began giving concerts internationally at age 10, after winning the First Prize and a Special Award at the Antonio Janigro Competition in Croatia. Since then, she has won top honors at the Liezen International Competition, the David Popper International Cello Competition, and the East Coast International Competition. She was recognized as a Samsung Foundation Rising Star, Louis Vuitton Foundation Artist, and Yamaha Young Artist.

Her recent honors include First Prizes at the 2024 Schadt String Competition, 2023 New York Young Artist Award, France International Competition, 2024 Juilliard Concerto Competition, and First Prize and Pablo Casals Award at the Irvin M. Klein International String Competition. She has also been selected as one of the top prize winners at the 2023 Paulo International Cello Competition, 2024 Koussevitsky Music Award, and 2025 ECSO Competition. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras in Europe, the United States, and her native Korea, including the Helsinki Philharmonic, Lahti Sinfonietta, Zagreb Soloists, Santa Cruz Symphony, Allentown Symphony, and the Seoul Chamber Orchestra.

In the 2025/26 season, Gaeun will perform at notable venues, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Musiikkitalo, Lotte Concert Hall, and the Seoul Arts Center. She will also appear at the Seoul Spring Music Festival, Music in the Vineyards, and Moritzburg Festival, where she will perform and lead masterclasses.

She is also committed to mentorship, having worked with students at the Juilliard Pre-College and presented masterclasses at festivals around the world. In addition, she is serving as a teaching assistant to Prof. Clara Minhye Kim at the The Juilliard School.

Gaeun is currently pursuing the Artist Diploma program at The Juilliard School, where she holds both the Bachelor and Master diploma. She have studied under Richard Aaron, Joel Krosnick, and Darrett Adkins, Clara Minhye Kim. She actively promotes contemporary music, premiering works by composers such as Fazıl Say, Katie Jenkins, and Seounyun Kim. Her dedication to broadening the cello repertoire and bringing new perspectives to classical and modern arts has been praised and presented in innovational works at the 2025 New York Fashion Week, Guggenheim Museum Works and Process series, and more.