Cellist
Youna Choi
Youna Choi is the Principal Cello of the New West Symphony and a member of the Long Beach Symphony. Her career is defined by frequent appearances at premier venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Nantucket Atheneum.
Her professional path is marked by leadership roles in major orchestras across the United States and South Korea, supported by a foundation of top honors from the David Weiss Scholarship Competition and the Rio Hondo Competition. As a founding member of Arancia Ensemble, she now combines her extensive performance career as a performer and an educator.
Profile
She made her concerto debut performing Walton’s Cello Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra as the winner of the Concerto Competition, under Maestro Courtney Lewis at the Ambassador Auditorium. Her orchestral career includes performances with the LA Opera, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and San Diego Symphony. She has appeared under the baton of renowned conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, Rossen Milanov, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Robert Spano, Rafael Payare, Osmo Vänskä, and Michael Tilson Thomas.
As a founding member of Arancia Ensemble, she has won the Grand Prize at the Manhattan International Music Competition and made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2022. Her ensemble's distinctions include a Special Prize at the Astor Piazzolla International Competition, being named a semi-finalist at the 2023 Mozart International Competition, and an invitation to the 2022 ARD International Chamber Music Competition.
After entering Seoul National University with top honors, she earned her Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music under Peter Wiley and Carter Brey, followed by a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory of Music under Clive Greensmith.
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