Jake Dongyoung Shim

Biography supplied for the 2026 competition.

Praised as “outstanding” by The Strad for his “pure, large, highly nuanced sound,” violinist Jake Dongyoung Shim gained international recognition as the recipient of the Isang Yun Prize at the ISANGYUN International Competition, becoming the first laureate to perform Yun’s Violin Concerto (1992) in the finals. In addition to winning the Isang Yun Prize, Shim has entered into a collaboration with SONY CLASSICAL Records. Shim is currently an Artist Diploma candidate at Juilliard, studying with Catherine Cho and Itzhak Perlman. He received his Artist Diploma and Master’s degrees at the Curtis Institute of Music. During his time at Curtis, he was awarded a full scholarship and the Tobe Amsterdam Fellowship. He previously studied with Don Weilerstein at NEC as a recipient of the Tan Family Education Grant and Dean’s Scholarship. He won the First & Bach Prize at the Stulberg International Competition and was named a Laureate of the J. S. Bach, Irving M. Klein, Zhuhai Mozart, and the F. Kreisler International Competitions. He is also the recipient of numerous honors, including the Manfred Grommek-Preis from the Kronberg Academy, where he made his solo debut with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra. Shim has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Tokyo Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, as well as the Sendai Phil, Kalamazoo Symphony, Chubu Philharmonic, and the Korea Chamber Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Shim has appeared at festivals such as Marlboro, Verbier Festival Soloist Academy, La Jolla Music Society, and Chamber Music Society, working with Gidon Kremer and Steven Isserlis. His performances have taken him to major venues across three continents, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, Jordan Hall, Kumho Art Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and the Musikverein Wien. Shim currently performs on the 1700 “Dragonetti” Stradivarius, generously loaned by the Nippon Music Foundation.