Na-Young Baek

At the tender age of 15, Korean-born cellist Na-Young Baek became the youngest winner in the history of the prestigious Choong Ang Times competition in Korea and was awarded the “Virtuoso Prize” at the first Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Moscow, Russia. Winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Competition, Ms. Baek made her American debut with the orchestra in 2000. She has appeared as a soloist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the DuPage Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic, and the Korean Chamber Ensemble, and has performed at major venues all over the world, such as the Academy House in Philadelphia and the Rheingau Musik Festival in Frankfurt, Germany.

Ms. Baek was a prizewinner in the Gyeongnam International Competition (in memory of Isang Yun), and was awarded first prize in both the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Competition and the Holland-America Music Society Competition. She was invited to perform with the Verbier Music Academy, the Kronberg Academy, and in the Sarasota Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the International Cello Congress in Manchester, England. Her recital appearances include a New York City debut at Carnegie Hall and on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago.

An avid chamber musician, Ms. Baek has been invited to participate in the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Casals Festival in Prades, France, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Isaac Stern Seminar in Israel. She was also featured at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Cadogan Hall in London, and on NPR’s “Performance Today”. Recent chamber music concerts include tours with “Musicians from Marlboro” and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO).

As a pupil of Orlando Cole, Aldo Parisot, and Colin Carr, Na-Young holds degrees from The Curtis Institute, The Juilliard School, Yale University, and Stony Brook University. Currently, she is a member of the Sejong Soloists, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and the Metropolis Ensemble, and is on the faculty of Kean University.