Andrew Byun, cello

1st prize winner of the 2024 Windsor International String Competition, Canadian cellist Andrew Byun has been praised for his “electrifyingly energetic, room-commanding combination of musicality, theater, technique, tone,” and “a world of thought and sound.” (The Strad) Byun has appeared in many venues including Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Jordan Hall, and has most recently been invited to perform at the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Music Mountain, and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center. He has collaborated with conductors as Jac van Steen, Leos Svarovsky, and Nil Venditti and his performances have been featured on the WFMT, WQXR, and NPR radio stations. This season featured his debut with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, UK tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and recitals across the UK/Italy and next season will feature his debut album released with Champs Hill Records.

In 2025, Byun was awarded the Third Prize and Isang Yun Special prize for best performance of works by the composer at the 2025 Isang Yun Cello Competition. In 2024, Byun was awarded the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, performing alongside the Borromeo String Quartet in Jordan Hall.

A passionate chamber musician, Byun has shared the stage with artists such as Erin Keefe, Hagai Shaham, Paul Neubauer, Paul Huang, and members of the Hagen Quartet and has been invited to festivals worldwide including Caramoor, Ravinia, Verbier Festival Academy, Music@Menlo, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, I-M-S Prussia Cove, L’Académie Musicale de Villecroze. From 2024 to 2025, he was invited to be an artist-in-residence at Music@Menlo’s Winter Residency.

A native of South Korea, Byun graduated from Northwestern University (BA/BM) studying Philosophy/Legal Studies/Cello Performance, The Juilliard School (MM), and the New England Conservatory (GD) and has studied with Laurence Lesser, Natasha Brofsky, and Hans Jorgen Jensen.

He is Artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel since September 2025, in the cello section under the mentorship of Gary Hoffman and Jeroen Reuling.

Last updated: 1 April 2026