"... won over by the
persuasive sweetness of Im's Tchaikovsky" NZ Herald
Anna Im is the First Prize winner of the 10th Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand. Her prize recording, Amabile, made possible through a partnership with the Tongyeong International Music Foundation and pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy, is now available on various global streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and others.
Anna earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Aaron Rosand. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Curtis/Milka Violin Artist Prize. The recording of a live performance of the Brahms String Quintet which she led as first violin was selected as the first track of the "Curtis 95 Years of Artistry Season Selections" album.
Anna has been hailed for her extraordinarily beautiful sound and for being an engaging and passionate musician, appearing as a soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzburger Solisten, and Chungnam Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. In addition to having won top prizes at various competitions in her native Korea at an early age, Anna has been a prizewinner, laureate, and finalist in various international competitions such as the BBC Young Musician, Osaka International Music Competition, and Viktor Tretyakov International Violin Competition. She has also been invited to participate in many festivals including the Kronberg Academy Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, and Aspen Music Festival among others. As a chamber musician, Anna has performed with Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, and Tabea Zimmermann as part of Kronberg Academy’s 'Chamber Music Connects the World'.
Anna began playing the violin at the age of seven and was invited to perform for the Thai Royal Family when she was eight. At the age of nine, she won the Little Mozart Competition in Korea and, as the winner of the competition, was invited to perform at Schlosskonzerte Mirabell in Salzburg, Austria in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth.
Anna moved to the United Kingdom in 2012 to commence studies with So-Ock Kim, professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. There she attended Millfield school until she entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 2014. Her other mentors include Haiyup Yang, Sungsic Yang, Paul Kim, and Clive Hughes.
In 2020, Anna commenced a Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music with So-Ock Kim. Anna is a recipient of the Hattori Foundation and Drake Calleja Trust, and is grateful for the generous support she receives from the Royal Academy of Music to pursue her musical education.
*This approved biography is not to be altered or changed without consulting with the artist.