South Korean cellist Hayoung Choi, born in Bielefeld (Germany) in 1998, won the first prize at the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition for Cello, as well as at the 3rd Krzysztof Penderecki International Cello Competition and the Johannes Brahms International Competition. She also received the "Landgrave of Hesse Prize" and the "Leyda Ungerer Music Prize" during the Kronberg Cello Masterclasses and was named the inaugural recipient of the FENDI Music Award.
Choi has performed with major orchestras, including the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, with upcoming debuts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, LA Philharmonic Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in the 23/24 season.
She made her debut at age twelve with Camerata Salzburg and has performed at festivals like the Amsterdam Cello Biennale and Kronberg Cello Festival. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists like Sir András Schiff, Gidon Kremer, and Mitsuko Uchida.
Choi studied at the Purcell School and later earned her degrees at the Kronberg Academy, under Prof. Frans Helmerson and Prof. Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. She plays the 1707 Ex-Starker Joseph filius Guarneri cello, generously loaned by an anonymous benefactor.
