Participant
Hyeonji Kim
Violin
Accepted to the preliminary round of the 2026 Naumburg International Violin Competition.
Biography supplied for the 2026 competition.
Hyeonji Kim is a violinist from South Korea, who made her debut with Gwangmyung Symphony Orchestra at age 9. Since she started playing violin at the age 5, she has won the first prize in numerous major national competitions including the Joongang Competition and Eumyeon Competition. She is also a recipient of honored awards including ‘Manfred-Grommek-Förderpreis’ from Kronberg Academy where she made a debut at Casals Forum. In 2023, she had been selected as a winner of Kumho Young Artists audition, and gave a recital in 2024. She was also selected as a winner of the Sejong Soloists Young Artist Chamber Series Audition and had the opportunity to perform with Chee-Yun. From 2025, Hyeonji has been participating in Emerson String Quartet Institute as a member of Prologue Quartet. Also, she has performed in several international festivals, including Music in Pyeongchang, Kneisel Hall, the LG Chamber Festival with Chamber Music Society in Lincoln Center and Cambridge International String Academy in London, and the Seoul Arts Center Summer Festival. Hyeonji earned her Bachelor’s degree at Seoul National University under Professor Young Uck Kim and Master’s degree at The Juilliard School under Joseph Lin. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University under guidance of Arnaud Sussmann.
Pianists
2026 International Violin Competition
Taketo Kataoka
, piano
Tokyo-born pianist Taketo Kataoka works across solo, chamber, and vocal repertoire. His performances have included appearances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, 92nd Street Y, Suntory Hall, and Toppan Hall. He has presented recitals and chamber concerts in the United States, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan. His awards include first prizes in the Suganami Piano Competition and Machida National Piano Competition, as well as second prize in the Verão Clássico International Music Academy’s Classical Summer Awards.
Kataoka’s collaborative work includes partnerships with faculty musicians from Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes, Northwestern University, and DePaul University. He has performed at international competitions including the Kobe International Flute Competition and Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition, and has served as a keyboardist with the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra.
Based in New York, he has held collaborative-piano positions at Juilliard and Meadowmount School of Music. He earned his master’s degree at Juilliard and his undergraduate degree at Tokyo University of the Arts, and also studied at Rice University.