Dr. Sharon Gayoung Cho, DMA
Violinist • Educator • Artistic Director
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Dr. Sharon Gayoung Cho brings a luminous sound and cosmopolitan artistry to concert halls and classrooms across three continents. Praised for her eloquence and vibrant musical voice, she performs internationally as soloist, chamber musician, and guest concertmaster in renowned venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus, and the Presidential Palace in Vienna for the President of Austria, as well as chamber stages such as Alice Tully Hall, Sprague Hall, and Woolsey Hall. Festival appearances include the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (USA), Mendelssohn Summer School (Hamburg), and Internationale Konzert-Arbeits-Wochen (Germany), alongside engagements across Italy, Spain, Croatia, and Slovenia.
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A laureate of major international competitions, Dr. Cho has garnered top honors worldwide, including Second Prize at the Premio Città di Padova International Competition in Italy, Second Prize and the Governor’s Prize at the Gavrillin International Competition in Russia, First Prize at the New York Artists International Competition, Grand and First Prize at the Vivo International Music Competition, and First Prize at the Rutgers Concerto Competition, along with multiple national titles in her native Korea.
Dr. Cho entered the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna at age fifteen, completing her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Post-Graduate degrees with highest distinction, all on full scholarship. She went on to earn an Artist Diploma at the Yale School of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts at Rutgers University, also on full scholarship. Her artistic formation has been guided by eminent mentors including Dora Schwarzberg, Ani Kavafian, and Todd Phillips, and enriched through masterclasses with artists such as Cho-Liang Lin, Donald Weilerstein, Midori Goto, and members of the Tokyo and Hagen Quartets.
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Parallel to her performing career, Dr. Cho is a devoted educator. She has held faculty and artist-teaching appointments with respected universities and premier summer festivals, mentoring students who have won top prizes and gained admission to leading conservatories and Ivy League institutions. Her collegiate teaching includes adjunct faculty service at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and undergraduate instruction at Yale University, complemented by her work as violin faculty for Rutgers Community Arts and her ongoing role as artist-faculty member of the Summit Music Festival in New York.
As founder of Sharon Cho Academy (www.sharonchoacademy.com) and the nonprofit Music Matters Lab Collective, (www.musicmatterslabcollective.org) Dr. Cho creates transformative opportunities for young musicians—integrating high-level training with community engagement, benefit concerts, and interdisciplinary collaborations that connect music with broader cultural dialogue. Through her performances, mentorship, and innovative initiatives, she inspires audiences and shapes the next generation of classical musicians.
“Sharon Gayoung Cho shines on and off stage with musical prowess and a giving spirit.” — The Daily Targum