Ian — Cellist

Ian’s musical roots trace back to a home filled with jazz and classical traditions. He began playing the cello at the age of five and deepened his interest during childhood, inspired by the music of Han-Na Chang. After immigrating to the United States, music became a source of solace that helped him navigate the loneliness and homesickness of his transition. His engagement with the instrument became significantly more serious after witnessing Yo-Yo Ma perform the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

His performance experience began early; at age 11, he participated in a series of fundraising concerts in Japan to support Korean residents in Utoro facing displacement.

Ian’s formal training includes studies at the Webster University pre-college program and the Manhattan School of Music pre-college. During this time, he participated in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He later studied in Barcelona at Escola de Música Victoria Dels Àngels i Conservatori de Sant Cugat, Catalonia under Lluís Claret a student of Enric Casals. Ian is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. As a chamber musician, he was a runner-up in the American String Quartet Competition and won the Lilian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition.

Throughout his training, he studied with Ken Kulosa, Ann Alton, David Geber, Lluís Claret, and Marion Feldman. He has participated in masterclasses with Richard Aaron, Bernard Greenhouse, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Michel Strauss, Giovanni Sollima, and Ernst Reijseger. His festival appearances include the Innsbrook Summer Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, Orford Musique, and the Kronberg Academy Cello Festival.

Ian plays on a 1906 French cello by Sylvestre et Maucotel previously owned by Bernard Greenhouse.