He performs extensively both as a soloist and as a member of the Cho Trio, founded with his family, with whom he gained international recognition through top prizes at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and the Geneva International Music Competition. With the trio as well as in his solo career, Cho has appeared on major stages worldwide — including a historic first ever performance at the Blue House (Cheong Hwa Dae), invited by the President of the Republic of Korea — establishing himself as one of the most respected musical voices of our time.
Cho’s artistic foundation was formed under Laurence Lesser and David Soyer in the United States and later refined in Europe through his close association with Mstislav Rostropovich and Siegfried Palm, who profoundly shaped his musical outlook and his lifelong commitment to truth in sound. Since 1987, he has served as Professor of Cello at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany, and as Professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, building an enduring bridge between musical worlds.
As a soloist, Cho has collaborated with leading orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. under Mstislav Rostropovich, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. His recording of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas has received high international acclaim for its structural insight, noble tone, and profound emotional depth — illuminating what Cho describes as “the spiritual sanctuary of all cellists.”
The album has been praised as a landmark interpretation, combining architectural clarity with deeply human warmth.
A top prizewinner at the Rostropovich International Cello Competition in Paris, the Casals International Cello Competition, the ARD Competition, and the Naumburg International Competition, Cho has also served on the juries of many of the world’s most prestigious competitions, including the Tchaikovsky International Competition (Moscow), the Beijing International Cello Competition, the Rostropovich Competition (Paris), the Schoenfeld International String Competition(Harbin), the ARD Competition (Munich), and the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition (Zagreb).
He performs on a rare Andrea Guarneri (1669) cello, cherished for its exceptional depth, resonance, and uniquely expressive vibration.
Respected equally as performer and pedagogue, Young Chang Cho continues to inspire generations of musicians through his sincerity, wisdom, and unwavering dedication to the truth of music.