11. The String Quartet Special, Ep.3: Kee Kim of the Parker Quartet

My dear friend, Kee-Hyun (Kee) Kim is the founding cellist of the acclaimed, Grammy winning Parker Quartet, founded in 2002 at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Since then the Parkers have gone on to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at France’s Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award. Alongside those accolades, they are also in their 8th year as the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University, serving as faculty members in the Department of Music. Their 20th anniversary was marked in the 2022-23 season with multiple performances of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets, highlighted here in this episode, which was recorded in late 2022. Jae and Kee chat about Kee’s upbringing and education in both South Korea & the US, his teachers and influences, and the ins and outs of balancing friendships and professional commitments. In the Secrets of Beethoven segment, they talk about the piano maker, Nanette Streicher, who was a quiet confidant and supporter of Beethoven’s, a loyal friend who not only took care of his instruments, but also went out of her way to take care of the composer’s well being in so many ways. Find the quartet’s upcoming concerts and news at their website, www.parkerquartet.com and watch their performances on www.youtube.com/@ParkerQuartet #BBB #Beethoven #Bad Boy #Jae Cosmos Lee #A Far Cry #Chamber Orchestra #Self Conducted #Cape Symphony #Concertmaster #classical #Chamber Music #String Quartet #Parker Quartet #cellist #Boston #Beethoven String Quartet #Kee Kim #Kee-Hyun Kim #Harvard University #Blodgett Artists #NEC # #violin #viola #cello