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, and Brussels Philharmonic 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 recent recitals took 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 had recent recitals in Jordan Hall, at Rockport Music, and at the Ravinia Festival. Brannon Cho’s recent and upcoming performance highlights include Carnegie Hall’s Zankel and Weill Halls, Wigmore Hall, Han-Na Chang’s Daejeon Grand Festival, Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Rheingau Musik Festival, Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Cello Biënnale Amsterdam, Music in Pyeongchang, and Seoul Arts Center. Recently, he replaced Alisa Weilerstein in Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante with the Belgian National Orchestra to critical acclaim. 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 the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Laurence Lesser. He also studied with Frans Helmerson in the Professional Studies program at Kronberg Academy. Beginning in 2025, Brannon Cho has joined the faculty at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. Brannon Cho is sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld, and performs on a rare cello made by Antonio Casini in 1668 in Modena, Italy.
