Newport welcomes A Major talent

Mozart’s effervescent “Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major” will fill the Newport Performing Arts Center this weekend as the Newport Symphony Orchestra welcomes pianist Ben Kim to the coast.

Kim’s two concerts, this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, will also feature Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 2, o. 36,” and “Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis,” written by Vaughan Williams.

Kim’s performances have been praised by the Süddeutsche Zeitung as “practically euphoric and filled with vitality.”

He has garnered critical acclaim for performances at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall and the Kennedy Center; and with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio, Seoul Philharmonic and St Petersburg Hermitage State Symphonies.

Born and raised in Portland, Kim began studying piano at age five with Dorothy Fahlman. He made his solo debut at the age of eight and his orchestral debut at 12.

At the age of 20, he received his bachelor’s degree at the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Leon Fleisher. He continued his studies at Peabody with Mr. Fleisher together with Yong Hi Moon after graduating.

Kim’s career took flight after he won first prize at the prestigious ARD Munich International Music Competition for Piano in 2006.

In 2014 he was one of six recipients selected among a pool of more than 13,000 graduates at the Johns Hopkins University to be awarded an Outstanding Recent Graduate Award for outstanding achievement or service in any professional field.

A longtime member of the German Alpine Society (Deutsche Alpenverein), Kim resides in Berlin.

This weekend’s performances, conducted by Adam Flatt, will take place at 7 pm on Saturday and 2 pm on Sunday at 777 W. Olive Street.

Tickets are available at www.newportsymphony.org.