Andrew Byun
CELLO
Nationality: Canada
Age: 25
Stage: Final
Repertoire:
STAGE ONE - SELECTION: Krzysztof Penderecki, Suite for Solo Cello, Preludio; Johannes Brahms, Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op.99, No. 2 in F Major, I. Allegro Vivace; Isang Yun, Nore for Cello and Piano; Claude Debussy, Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor L.144
SEMIFINAL: J.S. Bach, Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011, Preludio; Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major BWV 1009, Sarabanda, Giga
Praised for his “brilliant and sensitive musical personality with an immense stage presence” (Hans Jørgen Jensen), Canadian Cellist Andrew Byun has appeared in many venues including Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Mozarteum Foundation’s Wiener Saal, Jordan Hall, Galvin Recital Hall, and has most recently been invited to perform at the Music@Menlo International Program, Verbier Festival Soloists Academy, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center. His performances have also been featured on the WFMT, WQXR, and NPR radio stations. Byun has appeared in masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Ida Kavafian, Jian Wang, Frans Helmerson, Laurence Lesser, and Jennifer Higdon among others.
In 2014, he won the Grand Prize at the Seoul Arts Concours and in 2015, he won the Gershwin International Music Competition and Boston Trio Competition, performing with the Boston Trio in Jordan Hall. In 2015, Byun was also named a Jack Kent Cooke Artist and was invited to perform at Jordan Hall on NPR’s program “From The Top” 300th Anniversary Show. He has been a laureate at other competitions including the Sejong Philharmonic Competition, NEC pre-college Concerto Competition, and American Protégé International Competition among others and was a semi-finalist at the 2018 Stulberg International String Competition, 2021 Windsor Festival International String Competition, and 2022 Isang Yun International Cello Competition.
A passionate chamber musician, Byun has shared the stage with artists such as Erin Keefe, Kyung-sun Lee, and Hagai Shaham and has appeared at festivals worldwide including Taos School of Music, I-M-S Prussia Cove, L’Académie Musicale de Villecroze, Cello Akademie Rutesheim, Great Mountains Music Festival, and Mozarteum Summer Academy. He has also studied chamber music closely with Catherine Cho, David Finckel, Roger Tapping, and members of the Borromeo, Brentano, Ébène, Shanghai, Vermeer, Orion, and Dover Quartets. He is currently the cellist of the Quatuor Caél, a string quartet in residence at The Juilliard School’s Honors Chamber Music Program.
A native of South Korea, Byun attended the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and Milton Academy in Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy/Legal Studies and Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Northwestern University, studying with Hans Jørgen Jensen. Byun has also studied with Myung-wha Chung, Emmanuel Feldman, Soyun Kim, Yeesun Kim, and Wei Yu.
Today, he is pursuing a Masters of Music at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Natasha Brofsky. Byun performs on a rare cello made by Chiaffredo Cappa in 1690 in Saluzzo, Italy.
