Justin Kang (16) hails from Laveen, Arizona. He studies cello with Jamie Kellogg and piano with Snezana Krstic and currently serves as principal cellist of both the Arizona School for the Arts and the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra. Justin has earned numerous awards in both string and piano competitions, including the XII International Piano Competition Smederevo; the Opus National Music Competition (2025, strings; 2023, piano); the Enkor Music Competitions (2024, strings; 2024, chamber music); the MTNA Arizona State Competitions (2021 and 2023, piano); the 2023 Steinway/Avanti Future Stars Competition; the 2022 American Music Talent Competition (piano); the Arizona Musicfest Competitions (2022–2025, piano; 2022, 2024, and 2025, strings; 2024 and 2025, chamber music); the American String Teachers Association Competition (2022–2025); the 2024 Arizona Cello Society Solo Competition; the AMEA Solo and Ensemble Competitions (2024, cello; 2025, chamber ensemble); and the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO) Annual Young Artist Competitions (2023, 2024, and 2025). Justin has appeared as a soloist with the Phoenix Symphony, performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto in 2024 and Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 in 2025. He is a recipient of the 2024 Tim Banker Talent Development Award from NPR’s From the Top. He has attended several summer festivals, including the 2025 Bowdoin International Music Festival and the 2025 Montecito International Music Festival. Justin also served as principal cellist of the 2024 Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra, performing at Seiji Ozawa Hall, and of the 2023 YOLA National Festival’s Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Justin has performed in cello masterclasses led by Steven Isserlis, Robert DeMaine, Ko Iwasaki, Yoshika Masuda, and Noriko Kishi. He has also participated in piano masterclasses with Aviram Reichert, Sean Chen, Alan Chow, Pavlina Dokovska, Douglas Humpherys, Yuri Kot, and Elisabeth Pridonoff. Beyond performance, Justin is a co-founder and the current president of Bridge to Music, a student-run nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting music with the community. He also volunteers as a radio host at Heart and Seoul Gospel Ministries and performs regularly as a cellist and pianist at his church. In his free time, Justin enjoys music production and playing volleyball.
A. Dvořák, Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, 1st mvt
