“A daring cellist with intense and flamboyant playing.” - Le Soir
“She captured the hearts of the audience and judges with her boldness and her inward-looking as well as expressive playing.” - RTBF
South Korean cellist Hayoung Choi, born in Bielefeld (Germany) in 1998, is the First Prize Winner of the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition for Cello.
She also won the First Prizes at the 3rd Krzysztof Penderecki International Cello Competition and Johannes Brahms International Competition. During the Kronberg Cello Masterclasses she was awarded the “Landgrave of Hesse Prize” and “Leyda Ungerer Music Prize”. Most recently, she has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the FENDI Music Award.
Her recent and current highlights include performances with Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice Philharmonic Orchestra, Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Classical Players and KBS Symphony Orchestra.
The 23/24 season brings the debut with orchestras such as Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, European Union Youth Orchestra, Orquestra Amazonas Filarmônica, Filarmônica de Minas Gerais and Orquestra Jovem do Estado de São Paulo.
Choi made her debut with Camerata Salzburg performing Haydn’s Cello Concerto no.1 at the age of twelve. She has performed with numerous orchestras such as Kremerata Baltica Orchestra, Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, Barcelona Chamber Orchestra and Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. She was invited to play at renowned music festivals, among them are the Amsterdam Cello Biennale, Kronberg Cello Festival, City of London Festival and Prades Pablo Casals Festival.
As a chamber musician, she has performed with musicians such as Sir András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Kim Kashkashian, Jörg Widmann and Mitsuko Uchida.
She attended the Purcell School in the UK and received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the Kronberg Academy in Germany under the tutelage of Prof. Frans Helmerson. Later on she completed the professional studies programme in Kronberg, in class of Prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.
Hayoung Choi plays on a Goffriller cello, which is loaned to her from Stradivarius Foundation Habisreutinger.