Esme Arias-Kim, violin (Chicago, IL), is a Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago's Academy studying with Almita Vamos. She made her solo orchestral debut at age ten with the Oistrakh Symphony and was featured on WFMT’s “Introductions” and NPR’s “From the Top”. She has performed solo with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Chicago Arts, Lincolnwood Chamber, Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, among others. Esme has given solo recitals at the Peninsula Music Festival, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 92nd Street Y, Musikferien am Starnberger See (Germany), and Palácio Foz (Portugal). She has participated in masterclasses with Hilary Hahn, Midori Goto, Julia Fischer, Ian Swensen, Vadim Gluzman, Kirill Troussov, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Paul Huang, Grigory Kalinovsky, Mihaela Martin, Ilya Kaler and Philip Setzer as well as with the Borromeo and Cavani Quartets. Esme has won first prize at the Sphinx 2020, Walgreens National, International Young Artist, Arthur D. Montzka 2022, Fox Valley, Enkor International, New York International Artist Association, Sejong, Confucius, DePaul Concerto Festival, and Illinois MTNA competitions. Most recently, she placed first at the ASTA, Musicians Club of Women and Minnesota Orchestra’s concerto competitions. Esme is performing on a violin by Alfredo Contino 1920, courtesy of Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago. Previous Young Artists Program participant (2021)