Biography

Min Ji Kim was born in South Korea in 1995 and began playing the cello at the age of six. She studied at the Seoul Arts High School and later at the Korea National University of Arts with Myung-Wha Chung. Since 2014 she has continued her studies at the University of Music in Basel with Ivan Monighetti and Sol Gabetta. 

She received a scholarship from the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein and took part in the intensive music weeks that took place there. 

In 2010 Min Ji was the winner of the “Concerto Competition” at the Great Mountain Music Festival (Korea). In 2012 she was awarded a special prize at the “Prague Spring International Music Competition”. In 2013 she won the 2nd prize and the audience prize at the “Gaspar Cassado International Cello Competition” (Japan). In 2014 she won the “Joong-Ang Music Competition” (Korea). In the same year she received the young musician award at the “International Feuermann Competition for Cello” in Berlin. In 2016 she won the “International Button Competition for Viola and Cello” in Düsseldorf and the “International Mazzacurati Cello Competition” in Turin (Italy). In 2017 Min Ji won the “Concours d’interprétation musicale de Lausanne” and in 2018 the second “Rahn Music Prize for String Instruments” as well as the 2nd prize at the “International Paulo Cello Competition” in Helsinki. The cellist also won the "Frans Helmerson Prize" from the Kronberg Academy and the "Migros Culture Percentage Study Prize" (Switzerland). 

Min Ji has played with many orchestras such as the Incheon Philharmonic, Suwon Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia and the Turin Philharmony Orchestra. 

She plays Julius Cesare Gigli's cello, which was made available by the Boubo Music Foundation in 1767.