Mainly Mozart had many reasons to name violinist David Kim the permanent concertmaster of its annual All-Star Orchestra Festival, which will kick off Wednesday and run through June 27 in La Jolla.
He has served as concertmaster at the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra for 27 years and already had been working with Mainly Mozart CEO Nancy Laturno and Artistic Director Michael Francis since the 2020 COVID shutdown.
“Chemistry is everything,” Kim said, speaking from his home in suburban Philadelphia. “The chemistry is palpable with Michael and Nancy. We have such deep friendships.
“I’ve been through some personal tragedy, and they were right there for me. They’re such caring people. We trust and value each other. This good chemistry might be another reason they said: ‘You know what? This just feels right.’”
David Kim, the longtime concertmaster for Philadelphia Orchestra, has been appointed the permanent concertmaster for the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival, which returns to La Jolla June 17-27. (Allie Skylar)
Kim was involved in Mainly Mozart’s much-praised 2020 pivot to drive-in and outdoor-lawn concerts during the pandemic shutdown.
Because Mainly Mozart’s festival orchestra features a wealth of concertmasters and principals from the nation’s leading orchestras, it has rotated the lead violinist’s role in its all-star orchestra for the last eight years.
Laturno, who has headed Mainly Mozart since cofounding it in 1988, said the permanent position Kim is taking on will provide an extra layer of stability.
“I’m a believer in the role of concertmaster,” she said. “Most people recognize how important it is on stage. But a great concertmaster is a liaison between community and orchestra. The concertmaster can help set the tone and mood of the orchestra.
“I’m very excited about David’s commitment to us. He’s with one of the world’s great orchestras and it’s wonderful to have another musical colleague.”
Michael Francis, artistic director of the Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival, conducts a concert at the 2025 festival, which returns Wednesday for six La Jolla concerts. (J. Kat Photo)
On a mission
David Kim started learning violin at the age of 3 and, by the age of 5, he was practicing two to three hours daily. When he was 8, he began studies with The Juilliard School’s Dorothy DeLay, which required his family to commute from South Carolina to New York every other weekend.
He wasn’t passionate about the violin, but his mother was, despite not being a musician herself.
“From the day I was born — actually when I was in utero — my mom was absolutely on a mission to make her son become a world-famous concert violinist,” Kim, now 63, said.
His mother’s nonstop pressure ended tragically when she died from cancer when he was 14 years old. The next few years were rough, but he continued his studies with DeLay and later moved to New York.
His mother’s influence stayed with Kim as he pursued a career as a soloist. His wife, Jane, who worked for the Price Waterhouse accounting firm, was the primary wage earner. David would perform everywhere, from small towns and Manhattan restaurants to the FAO Schwartz toy store. He admits that he hung on to the dream of being a career soloist for too long.
“I was in my early 30s and I’m still grateful to my wife for having the patience to let that all play out,” Kim said.
“It’s wonderful she gave me that space, because when it came time for the Philadelphia Orchestra audition, I needed all that experience to go through the incredible pressure of the audition process. It’s like an international competition of the highest order when you’re trying to win one of these big jobs.
“Little did my mom know that I was given a career that is much greater than being a soloist and living out of a suitcase. Being a member of a major orchestra is much healthier and more rewarding. You get a salary and healthcare benefits, and, man, who can argue with that?
“And you get to work with the world’s great conductors and soloists on a weekly basis, playing this wide breadth of fantastic repertoire.”
Aspen and San Diego summers
Kim also gets to have busy and interesting summers. He is a faculty member each year at the highly respected Aspen Music Festival and School in July.
And this month, he performs at Mainly Mozart’s All-Star Orchestra Festival, which will hold five concerts at The Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. The finale will be at Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego.
Laturno considers Mainly Mozart lucky that Kim considers development as part of his job.
“David very much sees that part of his function is keeping this organization fiscally healthy and sustainable,” she said. “Not all concertmasters see that as their role.
“He wants to be at the dinners and at the focus groups and hear people’s points of view. He sees it as central to his role and I’m thrilled by that. He’s a great artistic leader but we are fortunate for his work offstage, too.”
Kim pointed out that ticket sales don’t cover even half of an orchestra’s expenses and that philanthropy helps keep the arts alive.
He knows Mainly Mozart appreciates that he comes to San Diego a few times a year. He does so not just to perform at Mainly Mozart concerts, but also to help raise funds and help create content for social media.
“I’m happy to make friends and talk with people,” Kim said. “It could be done through a round of golf, it could be a meal, it could be a coffee, or it could be just a little hello backstage before a concert.
“I have dear friends who also are supporters of Mainly Mozart. I would be friends with them whether I was involved with the festival or not.”
Kim values all the friendships he’s made here but has a special place for his close bond with conductor Francis. In October 2023, one of David and Jane Kim’s two daughters died suddenly from a brain tumor. She was 23.
“We received so many messages of condolence and love from around the world,” David Kim said. “Michael and I share our Christian faith, and I remember him writing some things that were so comforting and meaningful.”
Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival 2026 Schedule
When: Wednesday through June 27. All concerts begin at 7 p.m. except Sunday, June 21, which begins at 3 p.m. Each performance lasts 75-90 minutes and has a 15-minute intermission.
Where: First five concerts at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. Festival finale on June 27 is at the Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla
Wednesday: Mozart’s Ballet Music from Idomeneo, K. 367, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 “Classical,” Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 with soloist Anne Marie McDermott.
Saturday: Copland’s Appalachian Spring (original 13-instrument version), Mozart’s Bardengesang auf Gibraltar with tenor soloist John Russell, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55 “Eroica.”
Sunday: Márquez’ Danzón No. 4, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez featuring soloist Mak Grgic; Mozart’s Contradance in C, K. 535 “La bataille” (The Siege of Belgrade), Mozart’s Five Contradances, K. 609 (selections), Mozart’s Rondo “Alla turca” (Turkish March) from Piano Sonata No. 11 in A, K. 331; and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 “Italian.”
Tuesday, June 23: Lully’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (selections), Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat, K. 271 “Jenamy” with soloist Anton Nel, Strauss’ Le Bourgeois gentilhomme Suite, Op. 60.
Thursday, June 25: Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam of Benjamin Britten, Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D minor with soloist James Ehnes, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 “Jupiter.”
Saturday, June 27: Mozart’s Fantasia Fugato (arr. von Seyfried), Brahms’ Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op. 102 “Double Concerto” featuring James Ehnes and Robert DeMaine, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67. (Epstein Family Amphitheater)
Tickets: Single tickets for Baker-Baum Concert Hall performances range from $68 to $155. Single tickets for the closing-night performance at UCSD’s Epstein Family Amphitheater range from $25 to $250. Subscription packages are also available.
Phone: 619-239-0100
Online: mainlymozart.org