Na-Young Baek
Na-Young Baek
Winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Competition, Korean-born cellist Nayoung Baek made her American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2000. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and Korean Chamber Ensemble, performing at major venues including the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and the Rheingau Musik Festival in Frankfurt, Germany. Recent highlights include performances of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Ulsan Symphony, Wonju Philharmonic, and Greenwich Village Orchestra in New York, as well as Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Macau-Hong Kong-Taipei Symphony for its New Year’s Concert in Macau, China.
At 15, Baek became the youngest winner in the history of Korea’s prestigious Choong Ang Times Competition and received the Virtuoso Prize at the inaugural Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Moscow. She later won prizes at the Gyeongnam International Competition (in memory of Isang Yun), Hudson Valley Philharmonic Competition, and Holland-America Music Society Competition.
Her recital career includes a New York debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, presented by the Korea Music Society, and the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago. An avid chamber musician, Baek has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Casals Festival in Prades, Aspen Music Festival, and the Isaac Stern Seminar in Israel. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Cadogan Hall in London, and on NPR’s Performance Today. With Musicians From Marlboro, she toured extensively, performing repertoire such as Mendelssohn’s Octet and Janáček’s Quartet.
Baek studied with Orlando Cole at the Curtis Institute of Music before earning her master’s degree at Yale University and Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School under Aldo Parisot, who awarded her the Aldo Parisot Prize. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University with Colin Carr.
Currently, Baek serves on the faculty of Hofstra University and is Assistant Principal Cello of the New Jersey Symphony, as well as a member of Sejong Soloists and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra(ECCO).