SEUNGAH HONG
CELLO AND BAROQUE CELLO
“...SeungAh Hong added her sumptuous, golden tone to beautiful cello solos and played the continuo part in the baroque pieces with intelligence and strong underpinning.”
-The Republic
“...the cello solo reminiscent of Brahms lieder was played beautifully by SeungAh Hong. As the piano entered the interweaving of singing lines was magical.”
-The Republic
“...Schumann cello concerto brought to life by South Korean Cellist Hong who negotiated her way through this warm and embracing concerto with a blend of verve and elegance...the result being a richly lyrical reading of a Romantic master work.”
-The Bloomington Herald-Times
A first prize winner of the 2018 Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competition, 2017 Kuttner quartet competition, the 2016 IU Cello Concerto competition, the 2014 Kumho Asiana Young Artist Concert Audition, the 2012 Ujung Arts Center Rising Star Concert, and the 2009 Ewon Arts Center Young Artist Auditions, SeungAh Hong has been praised for her distinctive sound, poetic interpretation, intensely expressive music making, and commanding stage presence.
Born in Korea, Ms. Hong began cello lessons at the age of 6. She continued her studies with Hyeong-Won Chang and Kangho Lee. Based on her distinguished artistic and academic accomplishments, she was awarded the Kookmin Bank’s Artistic Excellence Scholarship at the Korea National University of Arts. Since 2014, she has been studying with cellist Peter Stumpf. Since 2017, she has been studying with baroque cellist Joanna Blendulf at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she is a graduate assistant and a recipient of the prestigious full-tuition Eva Heinitz Scholarship and Artistic Excellence Award.
She graduated from Indiana University’s highly selective Artist Diploma program in 2017, and she was the cellist of the Kuttner quartet-in-residence from 2017-2018. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in both cello and baroque cello performance and an assistant to Joanna Blendulf while serving as the Principal Cellist of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra.