Korean American violinist named concertmaster of Hamburg Philharmonic

By Park Ji-won

Violinist Daniel Cho / Courtesy of Sejong Soloists

Daniel Cho, a 27-year-old Korean American violinist, has been appointed as concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra in Germany, filling a seat that had reportedly remained empty for the last 13 years.

String ensemble Sejong Soloists, of which Cho is also a member, announced that Cho had passed the audition for the long-awaited leader of the renowned orchestra, founded in 1828, which was attended by the orchestra members as well as conductor and music director Kent Nagano.

Cho studied at the Juilliard School under violinists Kang Hyo and David Chen. He joined the Sejong Soloists academy program, becoming the youngest member to join the ensemble, which was founded in 1995 by Kang. He made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in New York at the age of 16, followed by his European debut at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

He moved to Germany in 2017, earning a master's degree at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin, studying under Kolja Blacher. He was the joint winner of the second prize at the Max Rostal International Violin Competition in Berlin in 2019.

Cho served as the concertmaster for the opening ceremony of the Verbier Festival in 2018, marking its 25th anniversary. In 2019, he served as the guest concertmaster of the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Cho will begin his duties in the 2021-22 season, and his tenure will be decided after he has held the position for a year and a half.