Eun-Sun Hong was born in Seoul in 1989 and started to play the cello when she was nine years old. Her main teachers were Myung-Wha Chung in Seoul and Lluis Claret at the Escola Municipal de Musica Victoria dels Angels in Barcelona from 2005 to 2008. Since 2008, she is studying with Frans Helmerson at the Hochschulefür Musik und Tanz in Cologne (2008-2012) and Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin (from 2012), where she is completing her Konzertexamen.
In September 2014, Eun-Sun Hong won the Grand Prix at the prestigious International George Enescu Cello Competition in Bucharest. Besides that, she has been top prize winners at numerous renowned International Competitions, such as the Penderecki Cello Competition in Krakow, Poland in 2013 (2nd prize), the Gaspar Cassado Cello Competition in 2006 (3rd prize) and the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2004 (2nd prize). She has also been a prize winner of “El Primer Palau 2006”, organized by the renowned concert hall, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. In 2007, Eun-Sun Hong was awarded the Ingrid zu Solms Kulturpreis by the Countess Ingrid zu Solms-Wildenfels during the Kronberg Academy Cello Festival and gave her solo recital there. Her live performance of Schnittke’s Improvisation from that concert has been released on the CD “Celebrating Slava!” in remembrance of Mstislav Rostropovich by the German label Günter Hänssler in 2008.
Eun-Sun Hong gave her first public recital at the age of 13 at the Kumho Art Hall in Seoul and since her debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, she has given many recitals and concerts throughout Europe, Korea and Japan. She has performed as soloist with numerous international orchestras, such as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Fenice di Venezia, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Andorra, the Korean Chamber Orchestra and the Minsk Chamber Orchestra, to name few of them. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with Lynn Harrell, Gary Hoffman and Irena Grafenauer among others. In September 2015, she has world-premiered Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Ciaccona for six cellos” with Frans Helmerson and Truls Mørk among others at the Kronberg Academy Festival in Germany.
Eun-Sun Hong has performed in such prestigious concert venues as Konzerthaus in Berlin, Victoria Hall in Geneve, Wigmore Hall in London, Romanian Atheneum in Bucharest, Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Hall and Seoul Arts Center. She has been invited to such festivals as the Ravello Festival in Italy, Casals Festival in El Vendrell, International Piatigorsky Cello Festival in Los Angeles, Kronberg Cello Festival in Germany, Seiji Ozawa International Academy in Switzerland, Great Mountains Music Festival in Korea, Naantali Festival in Finland, Festival Internacional de Musica Joan Brudieu in Spain and „Open Chamber Music” Festival in Prussia Cove, England.
