Faculty

Bongshin Ko

Hailed by critics for her “most perfect playing” (Internet Cello Society) with “great warmth and beauty” (The STRAD), cellist Bongshin Ko has appeared worldwide as a soloist with such groups as Television and Radio Symphony of Moscow, Munich Chamber Players, the KBS Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Zagreb Philharmonic, and Central Broadcasting Symphony of China to name a few.

Ms. Ko was the first Korean artist to be invited to perform in China after the historic resumption of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China, and has since been invited back annually. Ms. Ko has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest artists including Mstislav Rostropovich, Bernard Greenhouse, Sir Georg Solti, Leonard Stein, Gunther Schuller, Semyon Bychkov and Valery Gergiev. She appeared at Seoul International Music Festival to give the Asian premiere of Bernard Rands’ Cello Concerto, dedicated to and world premiered by Mstislav Rostropovich in celebration of his 70th birthday. Other international music events and festivals welcomed her to Schleswig-Holstein festival, Kronberg Cello festival, Hoertnagel Konzertdirekzion, Berlin Wall 10th anniversary concert, Rostropovich & Friends Concert (Germany), American Cello Congresses, Kumho Guest Artist Recital, plus numerous others in France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Monaco, Croatia, USA, Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.

She has performed to critical acclaims on NDR and Bayerischer Rundfunk (Germany), Fuji TV (Japan), TV New Zealand, TV China, Korean Broadcasting Systems and NBC. As a member of the European-based Tritton Cello Quartet she can be heard on the Musica Columna label. Her live performances of Brahms and Barber sonatas are often broadcast on the Arte TV in Korea and over the transpacific in-flight classical station on Asiana Airlines. Ms. Ko’s Haydn and Saint-Saens concerti, recorded with Munich Chamber Players in Germany, can also be heard on the SONY Classical label.

As a recipient of over 30 international prizes and awards, including the highest performance award in her native Korea and the Crossroad Award in the US for her “superior teaching,” she is on popular demand as a teacher as well as a performer around the globe. Prestigious schools where she taught special guest master classes include The Juilliard School, Mannheim Musikhochschule, Korean National University of Arts, Nürnberg School for Music, and Bejing Central Conservatory. Serving as Professor of Cello and Vice Director at Cal State University Fullerton School of Music she is also active in supporting young talents and promoting cello art through   Greenhouse Foundation & Festival, which she founded together with the late legendary cellist Bernard Greenhouse in 2008. As a leading member of The New York Soloists and New York Public Library Concert Series Ms. Ko performs frequently at major venues and concert halls throughout five continents.

 

Andrew Shulman

Andrew Shulman is a world-renowned English cellist, conductor, and composer whose extraordinary talent and versatility have left an indelible mark on the global music scene. 

Born in London in 1960, he displayed an early aptitude for the cello, studying with luminaries such as Amaryllis Fleming, Joan Dickson, Jacqueline du Pré, and William Pleeth at the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music.His prodigious skill was recognized at just 22 when Riccardo Muti appointed him principal cellist of the prestigious Philharmonia Orchestra, launching a distinguished career spanning continents and musical genres.
 
Shulman has held principal positions with some of the world’s most esteemed ensembles, including the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since 2008, he has served as principal cellist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), where his performances have been described by the Los Angeles Times as “always eloquent and passionate.” In 1989, he became the first British cellist to win the prestigious Piatigorsky Artist Award, and his contributions to music were further honored when he was made an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Music by HRH The Queen Mother.
As a soloist, Shulman has performed major cello concertos with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, Utah Symphony, BBC Scottish, Gothenburg Symphony and Singapore Symphony, collaborating with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Giuseppe Sinopoli. He has given recitals at iconic venues such as Wigmore Hall, Buckingham Palace, the Royal Palace in Stockholm, the Vienna Musikverein and the Hollywood Bowl, where his performances have been noted for their “fastidious poetry of phrase and technique” (The Times). His extensive discography includes over 35 recordings, among them 26 albums with the Britten Quartet for EMI, solo works by Vivaldi and Janáček, and world-premiere performances and recordings of solo works by Frederick Delius, Bruce Broughton, James Newton Howard and Maria Newman.
 
Shulman’s versatility extends beyond classical music. As a sought-after solo cellist in film and television, he has contributed to thousands of scores. He has also collaborated with artists outside the classical realm, notably working with George Martin and three of the Beatles, arranging and performing on albums by the post-punk band Louis XIV and recording the iconic cello solo in Elton John’s Candle in the Wind 1997. As a composer, he has premiered his own works, such as Smaller Music for Strings, and won accolades for his electric cello rock instrumental H.A.N.D., a winner in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.
As a conductor, Shulman has led orchestras across Europe and the U.S., including the Britten-Pears Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Culver City Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Principal Guest Conductor. His conducting highlights include the world premiere of a previously unpublished work by Benjamin Britten and acclaimed performances of Mozart operas such as Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte. Critics and audiences alike have praised his ability to draw nuanced and impassioned performances from orchestras, a testament to his deep musical insight.
 
A dedicated educator, Shulman is a professor at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where his students have gone on to win international competitions and secure principal positions in major orchestras. His multifaceted career—spanning solo performances, chamber music, conducting, composing, and pedagogy—reflects a restless creativity and an unwavering commitment to musical excellence. Whether performing Strauss’s Don Quixote with Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Hollywood Bowl or collaborating with rock guitarist Uli Jon Roth in Hollywood, Andrew Shulman remains a dynamic and influential force in the world of music.

 

Jenny Oh

Korean-born cellist Jenny Hyunseung Oh is a performer and educator based in Southern California. She appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, while maintaining an active performing presence in both the United States and Korea.

Jenny has appeared as a soloist with the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea and the North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra in Hungary. She also previously served as a member of the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra. Her performances are noted for their expressive depth and musical sensitivity.
As an active chamber musician, Jenny has performed in concerts and festivals across the United States, Korea, Germany, and France, collaborating with a wide range of musicians.

Jenny received her Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University, a Master of Music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she studied with renowned cellist Stephen Kates, and a Graduate Certificate in Music Performance from the University of Southern California, studying with legendary cellist Ronald Leonard.
In addition to her performing career, Jenny is a dedicated educator. She has served on the faculty of Kwang-ju University in Korea and as an adjunct professor at Concordia University in California. She has also been invited to teach and coach at programs including the Bakersfield International Music Festival, Concordia University Summer Chamber Music Camp, and Junior Chamber Music of Orange County.

She maintains an active private studio in Southern California and continues to perform regularly in chamber music collaborations with various ensembles, including Charis Christian Chamber and W Trio, an ensemble of USC alumni.

 

Yi-bing Chu