Haim Choi

Born in Germany, South Korean violinist Haim Choi is based in London and enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader.

Haim studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and later at the Royal College of Music as an Orpheus Scholar, where she was awarded full scholarships to complete her BMus (First Class Honours), MPerf (Distinction) and Artist Diploma in Performance.

In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious Tagore Gold Medal and performed at Buckingham Palace. In the same year, she performed Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins and Sarasate’s Navarra alongside Maxim Vengerov, from whom she received regular tutelage between 2018 and 2022.

Haim has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including Sinfonia Cymru, Oxford Sinfonia, Thames Philharmonia, LGT Young Soloists, the Seoul National Symphony Orchestra and the Royal College of Music Orchestra.

A passionate chamber musician, Haim is a founding member and first violinist of the Salomé Quartet, with whom she enjoys unique collaborations with contemporary composers, visual artists and theatre makers. The quartet played a pivotal on-stage role in the critically acclaimed production Dr Semmelweis, with sold-out runs in London’s West End in 2023 and at Bristol Old Vic in 2022. Haim also served as Music Director for the production, working closely from the 2021 devising process with director Tom Morris, composer Adrian Sutton and a multidisciplinary cast led by Sir Mark Rylance.

Alongside her chamber work, Haim is an avid orchestral musician. She is Leader of Sinfonia Cymru and Assistant Leader of the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, and appears as a guest principal with orchestras across the UK, including the London Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Manchester Collective, the Hallé, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chineke Orchestra. She also performs regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and English National Opera Orchestra, as well as with chamber orchestras such as the City of London Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Earlier in her career, she was selected for the LSO String Experience, BBCSO Pathway, Glyndebourne Pit Perfect and ENO Evolve schemes, and held violin fellowships with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the English National Opera.

Haim was appointed Cultural Ambassador for UNESCO Korea, and has taught violin and viola at the Yehudi Menuhin School, her alma mater, as well as at Eton College. She is frequently invited to adjudicate, give masterclasses, coach chamber music and direct ensembles at festivals and institutions across the UK and internationally.

She feels deeply indebted to many inspiring mentors, including Itzhak Rashkovsky, Gaby Lester and members of the Sacconi Quartet.