When I was nine years old, I received the first-place award for the Performing Arts Festival of the Eastside competition after practicing vigorously for many months. In the same year, I took interest in playing the violin. After learning the basics of violin, I applied to the orchestra in my middle school, and during the same school year passed the Royal Conservatory of Music level 6 exam with the piano. The next year, I would start to also play in my church’s youth orchestra and the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra a year later. In 2026, I passed the level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music exam with honor and the theory exam with distinction with almost a year’s worth of practice. To me, music is a way to connect with others and convey emotions through melodies and harmonies. The experience music has given me has allowed me to grow as a person. Music allowed me to meet many different people and make many different friends. Music is a core part of my life, and without it, I would be a very different person.
Watch John Kim perform Six Variations on Nel cor più non mi sento, WoO 70 by Ludwig Van Beethoven on the piano for the 2026 Summer Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.