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Violin prodigy shares name with a legend while working on becoming one in her own right

Published: 05 May. 2026, 18:20

Twelve-year-old violin prodigy Kim Yeon-ah poses for a photograph during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on April 27 in central Seoul. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

Twelve-year-old prodigy violinist Kim Yeon-ah has yet to find the words to fully define herself. For her, right now a three-syllable name is enough.

“I’m violinist Kim Yeon-ah,” Kim said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday. “I couldn’t think of any other way to present myself.”

She has been using the phrase for her self-introduction since becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians in 2023 at the age of 9.

Her name in Korean is the same as figure skating legend Kim Yuna — despite a different spelling in English.

“My mother named me after Kim Yuna with the hope that I would grow up to be just as great as her,” the young violinist said.

Violinist Kim Yeon-ah plays her instrument during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo in central Seoul on April 27. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

It appears that she is on her way to living up to the name.

Kim has been in the global spotlight since her impromptu violin performance of Antonio Vivaldi's “Four Seasons” (1725) at the Rome airport with Julien Cohen, a well-known street pianist, garnered 200 million views on YouTube.

“Julien messaged me on Instagram first,” Kim said. “He asked me to meet at the airport when I told him I would be in Rome for a competition. We didn’t rehearse — we just played right after greeting. I was focused on him, but I could feel the crowd growing behind me. It was exhilarating, and I was so happy.”

Julien called the then-10-year-old Kim a “prodigy.” She became the youngest winner at the Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians in Prague last year.

Kim Yeon-ah reportedly performed at “Family Concert: Prodigies” during the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on Saturday. Her performance will include Sarasate's “Carmen Fantasy” (1882) and the first movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor” (1839).

“I put ‘Carmen Fantasy’ at the top of my wishlist,” she said. “It really fits the festival vibe. I played parts of it with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Children’s Day last year, but this time I’m working on the full version — and it’s really challenging.”

Kim Yeon-ah, center, performs Antonio Vivaldi's ″Four Seasons” (1725) with pianist Julien Cohen at an airport in Rome, Italy, in 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The violinist is growing — both physically and artistically.

“Now I finally have grown enough to play a full-size violin, so this will be my first performance with it,” Kim said.

Since switching to homeschooling last year, Kim's days revolve around the instrument. Her day starts at 7 a.m., and her daily practice sessions go longer than six hours.

“I warm up with basics,” Kim said. “Lately, I’ve been doing this exercise where all four fingers stay on the fingerboard, and I lift just one — it helps with strength and making a perfect pitch.”

“At night, I study English because I want to communicate better when performing overseas. I’m also reading a biography of composer Johannes Brahms because I want to play his concerto someday. Though I haven’t gotten very far,” she said.

She first picked up the violin at four, after spotting older students playing at a small tutoring academy in the neighborhood.

“They looked so cool, and I begged my mom to let me learn,” Kim said. “I can’t even recall what they were playing. Back then, classical music just meant dusting my dad’s LPs for allowance — I never actually listened to them.”

Kim’s encounter with Sunny Lee, principal professor of the Seoul Central Conservatory, ignited the 5-year-old’s passion.

“I keep a daily practice log,” Kim said. “When my instructor told me that only one 5-year-old in Korea practiced for four hours a day, it made me competitive. Within a couple of months, I got there too.”

After sweeping domestic competitions, she turned international at seven. The Zhuhai competition she eventually won was one in which she had previously failed to qualify for the main round.

She also has remained visible in Korea. She performed the national anthem at a baseball game in last year.

Kim Yeon-ah's daily routine and practice log [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

Kim named her joint concert with violinist Danny Koo at Lotte Concert Hall, in Songpa District, southern Seoul, last year on April 17 — her birthday — as one of her most unforgettable moments.

“The orchestra and Danny played ‘Happy Birthday’ for me,” Kim said. “I was so moved, and I cried in the dressing room.”

She would normally be entering middle school next year, but she is still considering whether to return to the classroom at all.

For now, the 12-year-old’s heart is set on the violin.

“I want to become a better performer through consistent and diligent practice,” Kim said. “Someone once wrote that my video recorded at Rome helped them ‘feel healed and live their day more fully.’ I want to deliver performances that comfort people as I did back then.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]