Duarte : Violinist, 19, a Semifinalist

Violinist Pauline Kim, 19, of Duarte is one of 12 semifinalists in the Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco this weekend.

The winner will receive $9,000, one of the largest string competition prizes in the world.

Kim, who studies at The Juilliard School in New York, said playing the violin is a “very divine and spiritual thing. When I’m playing music, I feel like I am almost one with God. You’re playing something that transcends what we see and live by.”

Kim, home for the summer, practices on the violin five to seven hours a day.

“You see yourself improving, you discover new types of creative sounds, you’re attaining a new goal and a new way of expression,” said Kim, who began playing at 6.

Kim performed her first recital at 7 and debuted with the Los Angeles Korean Philharmonic at 10. She has appeared in local orchestras and has performed throughout the country and abroad, including playing in Japan and Europe.