| Mina Kim is an 18-year-old cellist from Edgewater, NJ, and a senior at Leonia High School. She currently studies at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege under Wolfram Koessel, where she has consistently earned Dean’s List honors and has held orchestra leadership roles.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Mina has won first prizes in numerous competitions and has performed at prestigious venues including Weill Recital Hall and the Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, National Sawdust, the DiMenna Center, NJPAC, United Palace, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mina is a founder of the SoRi(i) Trio in the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program, coached by Dr. Miho Weber since 2020. The trio performs a wide range of repertoire from classical to contemporary works and has received the NYYS Director’s Award in 2025. She is also a cellist with the Grammy-winning New York Youth Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Andrew Kim and has served as a principal student player in the Violoncello Society of New York. Her recent honors include serving as 1st chair cellist and featured soloist of the 2025 NJ All-State Orchestra and receiving the New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education. Since sixth grade, she has been selected annually for the NJ Region I Orchestra, serving as section leader and soloist in multiple years. At school, she has been principal cellist of both middle and high school orchestras and has been serving as the President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society for the 2025–2026 academic year. Mina is a cellist, researcher, and lifelong learner, passionate about exploring the intersection of music and science to better understand the patterns that connect people and shape the human experience. She will be attending Brown University and will continue her orchestral endeavors. |
Organization Name: New Jersey Music Educators Association
Award Title: All-State Orchestra
Year: 2026
