The Hay 30 – Min KYM

South Korean born and raised in the UK, Min Kym began playing the violin at the age of six. At seven she was accepted as the youngest ever pupil at the Purcell School of Music; at 16 she was the youngest ever foundation scholar at the Royal College of Music. The legendary conductor George Solti said she had 'exceptional natural talent, mature musicality and mastery of the violin'. In 2010 she recorded the Brahms Violin Concerto with Sir Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra. She was the first ever recipient of the Heifetz Prize, and is a goodwill ambassador for the city of Seoul.
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Hay Festival 2017

Min Kym talks to Clemency Burton-Hill

Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung

Hay Festival 2017, 

At 21 the prodigious violinist found her instrument: a rare 1696 Stradivarius, perfectly suited to her build and temperament. Her career soared. Then, in a train station café, her violin was stolen from her side. In an instant her world collapsed. This is Min's extraordinary story - of a young woman staring into the void, wondering who she was, who she had been. It is a story of isolation and dependence, of love, loss and betrayal, and of the intense, almost human bond that a musician has with their instrument. Above all, it's a story of hope through a journey back to music.