Germany’s Hamburg Philharmonic Announces New Concertmaster 

Korean-American violinist Daniel Cho will assume the role, effective immediately

The 27-year-old was selected as concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra by its musicians and Kent Nagano, conductor of the ensemble and general music director of the Hamburg State Opera.

Established in 1828, the philharmonic orchestra is Hamburg’s oldest ensemble, participating in over 250 opera and ballet performances each year.

Cho will join the ensemble as they continue with their 2021-22 concert season. After 18 months, it will be decided if he will receive an appointment for lifelong tenure as concertmaster.

He began learning the violin when he was six and went on to win prizes at Berlin’s Max Rostal International Violin Competition, New York Competition, and Great Mountains Music Festival Competition.

His solo engagements have included Anyang Chamber Orchestra, Sungnam Youth Symphony, Gangwon Youth Philharmonic, and Sejong Soloists — where he was the youngest member and performed with them on tour to the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Costa Rica. 

In 2010, at the age of 16, he made his American debut at Carnegie Hall, where he was the youngest artist presented in the KMF New York Debut Recital Series in over 25 years. Additionally, his first performances in Europe took place at Paris’ Louvre Museum.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Cho studied with violinists Hyo Kang and David Chen. In 2017, he moved to Germany and earned his masters degree at Berlin’s Hanns Eisler School of Music under the tutelage of Kolja Blacher.

Kang described Cho as playing “with a passion, intelligence and elegance far beyond his years. He brings excitement and beauty to the music he plays and mesmerizes the audience.”