Student Intern
Israel Kim is a cellist and pianist and is a member of SOUNDS Academy. He began his cello
studies with SOUNDS Academy when he was 9 years old and became a student of Jamie
Kellogg when he was 10 years old. He has also studied piano with Aejin Ham since 2020.
As a soloist, Israel has earned several awards and recognitions including the Arizona Cello
Society Competition, the OPUS National Competition(Arizona Strings & Piano), IAPMT
Concours International Competition, and Arizona Musicfest Young Musician Competition.
Israel has attended several music festivals, including the Arizona Piano Institute Summer
Festival and the YOLA National Festival in Los Angeles for three years since 2021. In 2022,
2023, YOLA National Festival performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. He
also participated in the 2020, 2022 AMEA Junior High School All-State Festival and the
2023 AMEA High school Regional Festival. He also attended the Red Rock Winter Chamber
Music Institute as a High Schooler in 2023. Most recently, Israel participated in the NEC
Summer Orchestra Institute with a full scholarship.
Israel has also been given the opportunity to play in cello masterclasses for Noriko Kishi,
Talya Buckbinder, Shmuel Ashkenasi and play the piano in masterclasses for Elisabeth
Pridonoff, Alan Chow, Eckart Sellheim and Dian Baker.
Israel is currently a member of Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra and has been since 2020.
He is also a volunteer in the SOUNDS Academy Collective for three years and a member of
Collective String Ensemble since 2023. He has been a student Intern at SOUNDS Academy
since 2023 and Teacher’s Assistant since 2024. He serves as the Head of Sound Department
at Prescott Korean Community Church and is in charge of Sound checks and is part of the
stage crew at all concerts of SOUNDS Academy.
Outside of cello and piano, Israel loves composing. He has written several pieces, one of which
he submitted to MTNA to compete with other composers like himself. He has also written a
trio piece for him and his siblings to play for the 2023 Benefit Concert.
