Concert Date: Thursday November 1, 2007, 8pm; Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Program: Beethoven Cello Sonata in C Major, op. 102, no. 1; Beethoven Cello Sonata in D Major, op. 102, no. 2; Ligeti Sonata for Solo Cello; Shostakovich Cello Sonata in d minor; Popper Hungarian Rhapsody (Pianist: Noreen Cassidy-Polera)
Biography: Winner of the Philadelphia orchestra competition, cellist Na-Young Baek has made her American Debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2000. She has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras such as Hudson Valley Philharmonic, DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Academy Symphony, World Symphony Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. As an active recitalist, and one of the most recent recitals include the Dame Myra Hess concert, which was broadcasted, live in Chicago. Native of South Korea, she started the cello when she was 10. Shortly after, she became the 1st prize winner of E-Wha music competition. Prior to studying abroad in USA, she had already won numerous prestigious competitions including the Special prize of Virtuoso at the 1st Tchaikovsky Competition for young musicians, the Grand prize of Se-Gye Times competition, and the youngest 1st prize winner in history of the Choong Ang Times Competition. She came to USA to study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music as a pupil of Orlando Cole. Her study continued at the Yale University for the Mater’s degree with Aldo Parisot who also taught her for the Artist Diploma program at the Juilliard School. During the study, she has won a top prize at the 1st Gyeongnam International Competition(Isang Yun in memoriam), and the first prizes at the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Competition and the Holland-American Society Competition, where she was awarded a use of a Koen Padding cello for a year. She just earned her doctorate at the Stony Brook University where she specialized on Baroque music. As an active chamber musician, she was invited to many music festivals, such as Marlboro Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Great Mountain Music Festival, Verbier Academy, Schuleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Banff Centre for Arts, Issac Stern Seminar, Piatigorsky Seminar, Sarasota Music Festival, and the New York String Seminar where she worked with countless world-renowned players and conductors. Currently an active member of International Sejong Soloists, she plays on Joannes Gagliano cello generously loaned by Sara Sant’ambrogio, a cellist of Eroica Trio.
