About the Artist

Claude Sim enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician, orchestral leader, soloist, and multi-genre performing artist. He studied violin performance at the Oberlin Conservatory (BM '99) with Greg Fulkerson, Almita Vamos, and viola with Roland Vamos. At age 21, he was appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony under music director Marin Alsop. As frequent soloist with the orchestra, he has earned praise for his 'lustrous tone and poise' by the Rocky Mountain News and dubbed ‘Denver’s Musical Adventurer’ by the Denver Post. Formerly Associate Principal Second of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sim has served in guest capacities as Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony, Principal Second of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa, and first violin with the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

Sim has been a grand prizewinner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and has served as guest first violin and viola on concert tours with the critically acclaimed Miró and Pacifica Quartets. He has collaborated in chamber music performances with pianists Christopher O'Riley, Jeffrey Kahane, and members of the Vermeer and Tokyo String Quartets.

Sim is a longtime member and violinist of Argentine tango ensemble Extasis. With a studio album to their credit, the quartet’s arrangements of Golden Age tango by D’Arienzo, Troilo and Pugliese through the nuevo tango of Rovira and Piazzolla are foundations of their wide ranging repertoire. Extasis performance tours and community engagements have reached audiences across the United States and Europe.

Known for his multi-genre interests, Sim’s jazz violin album Time With You presents a collection of standards from the American Songbook. Trumpeter Greg Gisbert is a featured artist on the record. Sim has performed with Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. and Odom’s jazz quintet as guest soloist. He has shared the stage with Irish American fiddler Eileen Ivers, Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule), rock band Guster, and with iconic Denver rock band Devotchka, both live and on the album 100 Lovers. His guest appearances include solo violin features with members of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, alongside dobro master Jerry Douglas. Additionally, Sim and Béla Fleck performed as an instrumental duo on a tour with the Colorado Symphony, culminating at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

A passionate advocate of standard and original modern gypsy jazz, he has performed with elite string jazz artists such as Joscho Stephan, including live radio broadcasts and tour with the German guitar phenom.

Claude Sim’s performing career and concurrent teaching mission focus on developing true artistic versatility while building connections across musical genres and communities. His previous teaching appointments include University of Colorado Denver and Colorado State University. From 2019-2022, he served as Assistant Professor of Violin at CU Boulder College of Music.