Two violin students from Wonhee Bae’s studio have a lot to celebrate this summer.

Shintaro Taneda, who completed his undergraduate degree in 2023 at SFCM and his master’s this year, will be joining the Oregon Symphony this fall as a section violinist, while Bae’s student Jeeihn Kim picked up 1st place in the Berkeley Piano Club’s Van Waynen Competition.

Shintaro Taneda.

“Shintaro has always shown a mature musicianship through his performances at the Chamber Music Tuesdays concerts as a String and Piano Chamber Music major,” Bae says. “As he prepared for graduation this spring, he was also working very hard on his orchestral excerpts. I am very proud of his courage and this achievement!” At SFCM, Taneda also studied with Nancy Zhou.

Kim’s win at the Berkeley Piano Club’s competition builds on her recent win at SFCM’s internal Concerto Competition this year. “Following her concerto competition win this year, getting another first prize at this competition is great recognition for Jeeihn’s hard work and dedication,” Bae says. “She has always impressed me with her artistry and I am looking forward to seeing her growth at SFCM even further!”

Jeeihn Kim.

The Berkeley Piano Club is a historic music institution in the East Bay and a frequent performance venue for SFCM faculty and students. This year, ‘25 Voice/Opera Studies graduate Antonia Cáceres and clarinet student Zoe King also represented SFCM in the Van Waynen Competition’s winner circle.

SFCM’s long-running Chamber Music Tuesday performance series offers students the opportunities for side-by-side performances with some of the most prominent musicians working in the field today. Performers represented by SFCM’s alliance company Opus 3 Artists who have played the series include violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianists Shai Wosner and Inon Barnatan.

Learn more about studying String and Piano Chamber Music or violin at SFCM.