PROGRAM - PRELIMINARY ROUND
Beethoven: Cello Sonata, No. 3, Op. 69
Kodály: Sonata for Solo Cello

SEMI-FINAL
R. Schumann: Cello Concerto
J. Haydn: Cello Concerto in C Major

FINAL
Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante
Bach: Cello Suite in D Major, No. 6, Sarabande

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Born in Budapest in 2006 to a Korean family, Jinseok Jeong began playing the cello at the age of five, quickly discovering his affinity to music and the instrument. His mentor, Kian Soltani, has described him as “a cellist with exceptional musicality and remarkable technical abilities.”
Jinseok received his first cello lessons from Krisztina Dávid, later continuing his studies with Zsuzsanna Antók. At the age of eight, he won first prize at the Hungarian National Youth Cello Competition, and three years later was admitted to the Young Talents Program of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied with Professors György Déri (2017–2020) and István Varga (2020–2024).
He is a laureate of several international junior competitions, including first prizes at the Antonio Janigro Junior Competition (2022), the Jan Vychytil International Cello Competition (2021), and the David Popper Competition (2021). His concert appearances have taken him to venues such as the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Vigadó Concert Hall in Budapest, Kurhaus in Baden-Baden, Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, and the Schlosstheater Schönbrunn in Vienna. He has performed as soloist with orchestras including the Sofia Philharmonic, Philharmonie Baden-Baden, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Zugló Philharmonic, and Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra. Jinseok has been invited to participate in leading international festivals and academies such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Gstaad Festival Academy, Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Seiji Ozawa Academy, IMS Prussia Cove, NUME Festival, the Geneva International Strings Academy, and the Musikakademie in Liechtenstein. Since autumn 2023, he has been studying with Professor Kian Soltani at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MdW). He has also gained inspiration from masterclasses with renowned cellists including Frans Helmerson, Miklós Perényi, Ivan Monighetti, Steven Isserlis, László Mező, Peter Bruns, Reinhard Latzko, Wen-Sinn Yang, Alban Gerhardt, Anne Gastinel, László Fenyő, Claudio Bohórquez, Marc Coppey, Leonid Gorokhov, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Nicolas Altstaedt, and István Várdai.

Jinseok plays a very fine violoncello by Carlo Tononi, Venice c. 1730, a generous loan by a member of the Stretton Society.