Violinist Kim Dong-hyun will kick off the 2021 Kumho Instrument Bank series with a recital on Feb. 4 at the Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in western Seoul.

The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has been running the Kumho Instrument Bank program since 1993, lending musical instruments to young artists through an open audition.

The program currently owns 10 instruments, including a piano, cello and eight violins. It aims to allow up-and-coming artists to focus on their performances without worrying about expensive instruments.

Violinists Clara Jumi Kang and Lim Ji-young were beneficiaries of the program, as well as the late violinist Kwon Hyuk-joo. Currently, pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Kim Bomsori and Lee Soo-been are performing on instruments on loan from the program, along with Kim.

Kim Dong-hyun has been performing on a 1763 Johannes Battista Guadagnini Parma violin for the past six years. With the violin, Kim took the third place at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition and won the 2018 Seoul International Music Competition.

A graduate of the Korea National University of Arts, Kim is to attend the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich for a master’s degree.

He was invited to perform with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra and the Music in PyeongChang Festival.

At the upcoming recital, Kim will play Mozart’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 21 in E minor, K. 304; Grieg’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45; Yasye’s “Poeme Elegiaque” for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op.12; Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, FWV 8, joined by pianist Park Young-sung.

The 2021 Kumho Instrument Bank series will be followed by recitals by cellist Choi Ha-young on April 8, violinists Park Kyu-min on July 15 and Lee Soo-been on Sept. 2.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)