Cellist, Sylvia Seunghee Kang

born in Seoul, Republic of Korea, began her career at the age of six. She attended Lila Elementary School, Yewon Middle School for Arts, and Seoul Arts High School, where she studied with Min Ja Hyun, the former faculty of Yonsei University, Woonsun Choi, a cello section member of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and In Kyung No, the faculty of Sangmyung University. Ms. Kang made her first solo appearance at the age of 15 with New Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performing Edouard Lalo Cello Concerto at Sejong Art Center in Seoul. Ms. Kang moved to California in 1996 and graduated from Crossroads School for Arts and Science in Santa Monica, California, where she studied with Bong Shin Irene Ko, the faculty of California State University of Fullerton. In 1998, Ms. Kang moved to New York where she studied with David Soyer, original cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet and the pupil of Pablo Casals and Emanuel Feuermann, as a President's Award scholarship student at Manhattan School of Music. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in December 2001 and Master of Music degree in May 2004. Ms. Kang moved back to California in 2004 where her family resides. She was invited to perform for the Eighteenth Biannual Gregor Piatigotsky International Cello Seminar 2005 and had masterclasses with Phillip Muller, the faculty of Paris Conservatory, Joel Krosnick, the faculty of the Julliard School, and Evan Drachman, a grandson of Gregor Piatigotsky. Ms. Kang is one of the last pupils of Eleonore Schoenfeld at the University of Southern California Flora L. Thornton School of Music. She received John H. Laub and Lilli J. Laub Endowed Music Scholarship, Harvey Erickson Endowed Music Scholarship and Dean's Scholarship for the Principal Cellist. She also studied with Peter Stumpf, the faculty of Indiana University and the former principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the cellist of the Johannes String Quartet, and received Graduate Certificate from USC Flora L. Thornton School of Music in 2007. Ms. Kang won numerous competitions in her native country and the United States, including Second Prize at the Chosun Competition 1995, Grand Prize at the American String Teachers Association Competition in Los Angeles 1997, First Prize at the Southwestern Youth Music Festival Competition in Los Angeles 1997, Top prize at the Springfield Symphony Sixth Hellam Young Artists' Competition in Missouri in 2002, First Prize at the Five Towns Music and Art Foundation Inc. Competition in Hewlett, New York in 2002, and Grand Prize at the New York American Strings Teachers Association and National School Orchestra Association's First State Solo Competition in Albany, New York in 2002, and more. As a chamber musician, Ms. Kang is a current and founding member of the Sorte Piano Trio with pianist Dr. Kookhee Hong and violinist Sunyoung Lee. The Sorte Piano Trio was founded in Manhattan, New York in 1998, and won Lillian Fuchs Memorial Chamber Music Competitions in 1999 and 2000. The Sorte Piano Trio was invited by the Department of Music at Auburn University and performed a Guest Artist Recital at Goodwin Hall, Auburn University, Alabama on October 25, 2017. Ms. Kang studied chamber music with violinist Isidore Cohen, violinist Lucie Robert, violinist Sylvia Rosenberg, pianist Heasook Rhee, pianist Daniel Epstein, cellist Marion Feldman, and cellist Nathan Stutch. She has collaborated in chamber music with pianist Andrew Von Oeyen, pianist Dr. Kook Hee Hong, pianist Dr. Soyeon Park, pianist Eduard Laurel, pianist Cullen Bryant, pianist Valeria Morgovsky, violinist Judy Kang, violinist Peter Marsh, violinist Thi Nguyen, violinist SunYoung Lee, violinist JeoungAh Kim, and her younger sister violinist Dr. Chloe Yeon Hee Kang, and more. Her live concerts have been broadcasted on TV Radio stations. As an active orchestra musician, Ms. Kang has worked with internationally acclaimed conductors such as Kurt Masur, Pierre Boulez, David Robertson, Jahja Ling, Zdenek Macal, and Carl St Clair, Myung-Whun Chung, among others. She served as the principal cellist of the Manhattan School of Music Opera Orchestra, USC Symphony Orchestra, and USC Chamber Orchestra. She has played in Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Kang has appeared as a soloist, a chamber musician, and an orchestra musician at the most prestigious concert halls in the Republic of Korea and the United States such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, Fox Theatre, and Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Arts Center, etc. Ms. Kang has been on a jury for music festivals and competitions. Her students have been selected as members of the Heifetz International Music Institute in Staunton, Virginia, the Emory Youth Chamber Program in Emory University, Georgia, Young Musicians Foundation chamber music series in California, YMF Debut Orchestra in California, American Youth Symphony Orchestra in California, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts, Alabama Youth Symphony Orchestra in Alabama, Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Massachusetts, the Summit Music Festival in New York, Philadelphia International Music Festival in Philadelphia, etc. Her students got into the top universities such as Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia University, Brown University, U.C. Berkeley, University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, Williams College, Amherst College, Cornell University, and Washington University. Her students also have been awarded scholarships at prestigious colleges such as Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, etc. Sylvia Seunghee Kang currently lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, and maintains her cello studio. Ms. Kang is an active member of the American String Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, Georgia Music Teachers Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, and National Association for Music Education.