Sung-hyun Cho & Kyeong Ham
Biography Sung-hyun Cho & Kyeong Ham
Sung-hyun Cho
Praised for his exceptional musicianship and depth of expression, Seoulborn flutist SUNGHYUN CHO has steadily solidified his international reputation as a soloist, ensemble player and member of prominent orchestras. In 2017, he was newly appointed as the principal flutist of Cologne’s Gürzenich Orchestra under the direction of François-Xavier Roth. Before assuming this coveted position recently, Cho had served as the principal flutist of Konzerthausorchester Berlin for its 2015/16 season and also as a member of the prestigious Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmnic, working with such prominent conductors as Simon Rattle, Iván Fischer, Zubin Mehta, Andris Nelsons, Semyon Bychkov, Tugan Sokhiev, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Chailly, Alan Gilbert, Reinhard Goebel and Jörg Widmann.
Cho is the second-prize winner of Prague Spring International Competition and the top-prize winner of several other prestigious international competitions. Already having won Korean national competitions in his youth as well as British Flute Society Young Artist Competition, International Flute Competition “Friedrich Kuhlau" and Beijing International Music Competition, Cho drew attention when he won the International Flute Competition "Severino Gazzelloni” in 2012. The competition awarded him the Special Prize for for the best performance of Luciano Berio's Sequenza as well as solo recitals at Falaut Festival, Emilia Romagna Festival, Cava de’ Tirreni Festival, Agimus Festival, Slovenian Flute Festival and Milano’s Incontri Musicali Series. Soon afterwards, Cho was invited as a jury member of the same competition.
A renowned ensemble player, Cho is a member of Veits Quintet, a group he formed with his colleagues Kyeong Ham (oboe), Han Kim (clarinet), Rie Koyama (bassoon) and Ricardo Silva (horn). The quintet won Second Prize at the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition and has performed actively in Europe in festivals such as the Darmstadt Theater Chamber Series, Fischerhuder Hofkonzerte Series, Musikalischer Sommer in Ostfriesland among others. In 2016, Veits Quintet not only made a successful Japan/Korean debut in Seoul and Tongyeong through Ditto Festival but also released its debut album worldwide with the German label ARS.
In Korea, Cho has not only stood on stage as a soloist with Korean Symphony, Korean Chamber Orchestra, Bucheon Philharmonic, Gyeonggi Philharmonic, Gangnam Symphony and Cheongju City Philharmonic but also performed at Seoul Arts Center’s “Symphonic Festival” and “Classic Star Series,” Sejong Center’s “Sejong Chamber Hall 10-Year Anniversary Concert” and Kumho Art Hall’s “Rising Star Series” After releasing his first solo recording with Italy’s Falaut Label, Cho also released his second album as part of KBS Classic FM’s Korean Young Musicians series.
Born in 1990, Cho studied at the preparatory division of the Korea National University of Arts with Eui Kyung Park before enrolling at Oberlin Conservatory at age 15 and studying with Prof. Michel Debost. Cho moved to Germany in 2009 and received the Diplom degree at Hochschule für Musik Hannover and then the Master’s degree and the Meisterklasse degree at Hochschule für Musik München under the guidance of Prof. Andrea Lieberknecht. He has also been mentored by Emmanuel Pahud, Andreas Blau and Michael Hasel at the Berlin Philharmonic.
