Bomsori: Singing from the heart

Bomsori Kim was given her distinctive name by her grandfather. Unusual in her native Korea, Bomsori translates literally as ‘sound of spring’. ‘I was actually born in winter, not spring,’ the violinist explains, ‘but as winter is cold and difficult, he wanted me to bring some nice spring news into the world.’ As I talk to Kim after the longest of winters, on a sunny 1 April, it’s easy to relate to her grandfather’s thinking.

She arrived at the Juilliard School as a postgraduate in 2014 following studies at Seoul National University. Since then her rise has been quick, and with a multi-album deal from prestigious label Deutsche Grammophon signed early in 2021, it is unlikely to be temporary. A busy summer includes a residency at the Rheingau Music Festival near Frankfurt that will encompass all five Mozart concertos with Camerata Salzburg, the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and chamber music with cellist Maximilian Hornung and pianist Fabian Müller…