By the end of high school, most people have dipped their toes in a variety of activities and sports, ranging from painting, to playing soccer, to learning guitar. However, not everyone has had a long lasting passion for something that they plan to pursue for the rest of their life. Unlike the renaissance children of our generation, cellist Minzo Kim has honed his musical skills since the third grade, leading him to a bright future in the music industry.

Playing the cello for ten years, Kim has been involved with multiple orchestras including the North Penn High School Orchestra, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and the Temple University Prep Youth Chamber Orchestra. He also is one third of North Penn’s newest band, String Theory, with Ben Kloss and Suyog Padgaonkar.

Though he may think it is corny, Kim is passionate and dedicated to playing in multiple orchestras because he “can get [his] ideas across without using words.”

Not just influenced by the classics such as Bach and Mozart, the young cellist enjoys playing music of different cultures because of the variety of styles.

“My favorite piece to play is Requiebros by Gaspar Cassado. It’s a Spanish piece so it’s ridiculously fun.”

Kim, inspired by his audience, did hit a rough patch in his musical career. Almost quitting the cello in the ninth grade because of the amount of time he needed to dedicate to practicing, Kim realized that he “could not leave the cello.” Nonetheless, his determination in continuing to sharpen his technique has led him to pursue a BA in cello performance at the Peabody Institute of Music at Johns Hopkins University next fall.

“If I could tell students pursuing music school anything, it would be two things. One, practice, practice, practice. There’s no substitute. And two, make connections. Go to camps and festivals and have lessons with different teachers. The music world is really small.”

Seeing himself in a major orchestra and teaching in the future, Kim has learned that patience is truly a virtue.

“One thing I’ve learned from playing cello is patience. Tricky passages in music don’t come instantly. You have to work diligently to learn them.”