This preview has been provided by the Brevard Philharmonic.

The Brevard Philharmonic starts its season Sunday, Sept. 23 with David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  In his first appearance with the Philharmonic, Mr. Kim will perform the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 by Max Bruch. The work is a favorite among musicians and audience members.

“It’s not long-winded, it’s exciting, compact and accessible,” Kim says of the 1866 concerto. “It’s tuneful, soulful and flashy.”

The opening concert – “Mozart and the Two Bs” – begins with the delightful Overture from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and continues with Beethoven’s energetic, cheerful, and outgoing Symphony No. 2 in D major.

The 3 p.m. concert takes place at Scott Concert Hall of the Porter Center for the Performing Arts at Brevard College.

Mr. Kim grew up in Pennsylvania and South Carolina and began violin studies at 3. At 7 he began studying with famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay in New York. He and his mother would drive eight hours from Pennsylvania to New York for lessons. After the family moved to South Carolina, they flew to New York for lessons every other Saturday and at 11, Kim began making the trips on his own. At age 12 he appeared with Itzhak Perlman on the television program Prodigy in New York.

“My mother decided my fate before I was born,” Mr. Kim said. “She wanted to have a son and that he become a concert violinist. There was no choice. If someone asked her, ‘What if he hadn’t been talented?’ she’d just look at them dumbfounded.”

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School. In 1986 he was the only American violinist to win a prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1989 he founded the Kingston Chamber Music Festival at the University of Rhode Island and led the festival for 20 years.

After a decade as a touring soloist, Mr. Kim joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as concertmaster in 1999. The concertmaster is second only to the conductor in leadership and is the conductor’s main liaison with the players in determining matters such as string bowings and how the dominant strings relate to the wind, brass and percussion.

Still, Mr. Kim continues to perform as soloist and recently gave multiple performances of the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 3 and the violin solos from the complete Brandenburg Concertos with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Vivaldi Four Seasons as conductor and soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Carter Brey and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Mr. Kim, who lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two daughters, arrives in Brevard after two weeks of teaching and performing in Japan. He performs on a 1757 J.B. Guadagnini violin on loan from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The association between Mr. Kim and Brevard Philharmonic Music Director Donald Portnoy goes back 20 years. Mr. Kim has performed several times with the University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra which Dr. Portnoy directs.

“I consider him a mentor,” says Mr. Kim.

The respect is mutual.
 
“I enjoying working with him very much,” said Maestro Portnoy. “He’s a great musician and very personable.”

The rest of the concert program is just as bright as the Bruch concerto. The Marriage of Figaro Overture provides a sense of the fun that the comic opera offers and although Beethoven had recently come to the realization that he was losing his hearing when he wrote the Second Symphony it is one of his most upbeat works.

The Sept. 23 concert is sponsored in memory of Ann Bryant Pickelsimer from Lynn, Charles III, Beth, Whitney, Josh, Natalie, Wilson and Alex.

“Mozart and the Two Bs” 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23 at Scott Concert Hall of the Porter Center for the Performing Arts at Brevard College.

Ticket information

  • A season subscription including all five concerts is $100. Three and four concert packages are also available at a discount. Individual tickets are $25.
  • Email: Fill out a form at www.brevardphilharmonic.org  (Visa, MasterCard, Discover.)
  • Mail: go to www.brevardphilharmonic.org and download the 2012-2013 ticket order form, print, fill out, and mail to Brevard Philharmonic Tickets, PO Box 1547, Brevard, NC 28712. (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or personal check.)
  • Phone: (828) 884-4221.

Individual tickets may be purchased at the Philharmonic office, 351 South Caldwell St. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wednesday and Friday during the two weeks preceding each concert and at Rockin’ Robin Records, 259 N. Broad St.