Biography

Cellist Yoon-Kyung Cho was born in Seoul and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at major venues across the Europe and South Korea. She has been accepted to the “Classe d’excellence de violoncelle”(2014-2015) of Gautier Capuçon and had masterclasses and concerts in cooperation with Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. She also won Second Prize at the Johannes Brahms International Competition in Pörtschach (Austria) and the Concerto Competition at Royal College of Music and performed Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1 with RCM Philharmonic Orchestra with Martin André in London. In addition, Yoon-Kyung has won numerous competitions including Silver Medal at the prestigious KBS-KEPCO Music Competition in Seoul and First Prize in the Busan Times Competition, the Seoul Soloists Cello Ensemble Competition, the Korea Times Music Competition, the Sung-Jung Music Competition, and the Segye Times Music Competition.

Yoon-Kyung gave her debut recital in the Kumho Arts Hall, Seoul where she was selected as a Kumho Young Artist. In 2012, she performed Dvorak’s Cello Concerto with the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, which was broadcast on KBS TV. She has also performed as a soloist with the Korea National Military Symphony Orchestra, Guri Philharmonic Orchestra, Chunchoen Philharmonic Orchestra and Seoul Soloists Cello Ensemble.

Yoon-Kyung also performs regularly as a chamber musician and orchestral player. She had RCM Rising Star Concert playing with Sasha Rozhdestvensky at Cadogan Hall. Also, she has worked with Timothy Eddy, Mark Kaplan, and Larry Dutton, performing chamber music at the Heifetz International Institute (USA). She has also played at numerous international festivals including Encuentro Music Academy in Santander (Spain), IMS (International Music Seminar) Prussia Cove Masterclasses (UK), Sarasota International Music Festival (USA), the Chamber Music Festival at The Juilliard School, the Great Mountains International Music Festival (Korea), and the Kirishima International Music Festival (Japan). She has performed as principal cellist of the SNU Symphony Orchestra, working with Heon Jung Lim, and Vladimir Ashkenazy. She has also worked with conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Larry Rachleff, Nicholas McGegan, and Karina Canellakis.

Yoon-Kyung began learning the cello at the age of nine and graduated from Seoul Arts High School which later awarded her the Most Accomplished Alumna Award. She received a Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University with a high distinction and then studied at the Juilliard School for a Master of Music with Timothy Eddy. She was supported by the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and Eleanor Slatkin Scholarship at the Juilliard School. Her musical development has been furthered in masterclasses with Frans Helmerson, Ralph Kirshbaum, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Wen-Sinn Yang, Maria Kliegel and Jens Peter Maintz. She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music with Melissa Phelps, as an RCM Scholar supported by a Henri Cowell Soiree d’Or Award and a grant from the Albert Cooper Music Charitable Trust.

Musicians’ Company Awards: Maisie Lewis Prize 2015 & Prince’s Prize 2016

Page Updated: 2015