Danbi Um, violin

Praised by The Strad as an “utterly dazzling” artist, with “a marvelous show of superb technique” and “mesmerizing grace” (New York Classical Review), violinist Danbi Um captivates audiences with her virtuosity, individual sound, and interpretive sensitivity. A Menuhin International Violin Competition Silver Medalist, she showcases her artistry in concertos, solo recitals, and in collaboration with distinguished chamber musicians.

This season, Ms. Um makes her New York recital debut in Lincoln Center presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and her San Francisco recital debut on Music@Menlo’s celebrated “Carte Blanche” series. She also debuts for the Palm Beach Chamber Music Society, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Morning Musicales”, and at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., with pianist Orion Weiss.
After winning the Music Academy of the West Competition in 2014, Ms. Um made her concerto debut in the Walton Violin Concerto with the Festival Orchestra, conducted by Joshua Weilerstein. Recent concerto engagements include appearances with the Israel Symphony, Auckland Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony, and the Dartmouth Symphony. She also recently appeared in recital and in chamber music performances in such venues as the Kennedy Center, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Harris Theatre in Chicago, and at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Um is a current artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and a violinist with the Escher String Quartet. Festival appearances have included those at Marlboro, Ravinia, Yellow Barn, Moab, Seattle, Caramoor, and North Shore. This summer sees her debut at the Moritzburg Festival in Dresden, Germany. She has collaborated with Anthony Marwood, Vadim Gluzman, Pamela Frank, Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Neubauer, Frans Helmerson, Jan Vogler, David Shifrin, and Gilbert Kalish.

Born in 1990 in Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Um began violin lessons at the age of three. In the year 2000, she moved to the United States to study at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree. She also holds an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. Her teachers have included Shmuel Ashkenasi, Joseph Silverstein, Jaime Laredo, and Hagai Shaham.

Ms. Um is a winner of Astral’s 2015 National Auditions and a recipient of the 2018 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant. She plays a 1683 “ex-Petschek” Nicolo Amati violin, on loan from a private collection.