Yireh Choi, 15, started playing the cello at the age of 8 and was accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division at age 12, where she began her studies with Clara Minhye Kim. She is the first prize winner of numerous competitions including the Junior Division of the Adelphi Young Artists Competition, the Camerata Artists International Concerto Competition, the Lyra Music Competition, the YWCA of Queens New York Music Competition, the International Virtuoso Competition, the International Grande Music Competition, and the Vivo International Music Competition. She also made her orchestral debut in 2017 when she won the Camerata Youth Philharmonic Concerto Competition. Her performance venue includes Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, and Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, and she has participated in master classes with cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and Zlatomir Fung. In the summer of 2019, Yireh was awarded a scholarship to the HeifetzPEG program of the Heifetz International Music Institute in Staunton, Virginia. This summer, she will be participating in the Morningside Music Bridge summer festival, a full-scholarship program at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Yireh also won many awards with the Sorella Piano Trio consisting of her sister and best friend. They made it to the Quarter-Finalist Round of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and appeared on NPR’s From The Top in 2020. She was also recently selected as a finalist for From The Top for solo performance. When she isn’t practicing, Yireh enjoys spending time with her sister, listening to music, and eating korean food.
Cello Sonata in D Minor, Op.40, I. Allegro Non Troppo, Shostakovich, 9 minutes
