About

Praised for his “burnished tone, spellbinding technique, and probing musical mind” (Boston Classical Review), cellist Brannon Cho has emerged as an outstanding artist of his generation. He is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 6th International Paulo Cello Competition, and is also a top prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Cassadó International Cello Competitions.

Most recently, Brannon Cho is the recipient of the 2020 Janos Starker Foundation Award, the Landgraf von Hessen Prize from Kronberg Academy, the 2019 Ivan Galamian Award previously held by James Ehnes, and is a scholarship holder in the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

Brannon Cho has appeared as a soloist with many of the top orchestras around the world, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Belgian National Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royale Liège, under world-renowned conductors such as Susanna Mälkki, Stéphane Denève, Christian Arming, and Hugh Wolff. 

As a lover of chamber music, Brannon Cho is a founding member of two groups: Trio Seoul with violinist Jinjoo Cho and pianist Kyu Yeon Kim, and a string trio with violinist Stella Chen and violist Matthew Lipman. Trio Seoul's upcoming performances will take place in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toronto, and Montreal, among others. The string trio had its debut recital at Kronberg Academy's 2023 Alumni Festival to critical acclaim, and has upcoming performances in Boston, Toronto, and Chicago. 

Brannon Cho’s recent and upcoming performance highlights include Carnegie Hall's Zankel and Weill Halls, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Rheingau Musik Festival, Arte Amanti Festival, Cello Biënnale Amsterdam, and Seoul Arts Center. Recently, he replaced Alisa Weilerstein in Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Belgian National Orchestra to critical acclaim.

play_arrow

Born in New Jersey, Brannon Cho received his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under Hans Jørgen Jensen. He was awarded the prestigious Artist Diploma from New England Conservatory, where he studied with Laurence Lesser. In 2023, he completed the Professional Studies program at Kronberg Academy, under the tutelage of Frans Helmerson.

Brannon Cho is sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld, and performs on a rare cello made by Antonio Casini in 1668 in Modena, Italy.

Download Bio

Last updated November 2022. Do not edit without permission.