Free Concert with the Cal State Fullerton Cello Choir in NYC

California State University, Fullerton Cello Choir
Saturday, April 25, 2026 | 7:30 PM
Free Admission

Join the California State University, Fullerton Cello Choir, under the direction of Bongshin Ko, for an evening celebrating the rich, expressive sound of the cello on Friday, April 25 at 7:30 PM in Ann Goodman Recital Hall.

The ensemble presents a diverse and vibrant program spanning more than two centuries of music. The concert features works by composers including Duke Ellington, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Joseph Haydn, Isaac Albéniz, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, alongside contemporary voices such as Shannon Hayden and the tango classic Cristal by Mariano Mores.

From elegant Classical chamber music and Romantic lyricism to jazz-inspired grooves and modern textures, this eclectic program showcases the remarkable versatility of the cello. Come experience an evening with the talented cellists of the CSUF Cello Choir!

CSUF CELLO CHOIR REPERTOIRE TO BE SELECTED FROM:

Allegro from Op. 22, No. 1 | Fredrich August Kummer (1797 - 1879)

Adagio-Quartett | Domenico Labocetta (1823 - 1896)

Zonky Blues | Duke Ellington (1899 - 1974)

"Vocalise," Op. 34, No. 14 | Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943) (arr. E. Osadchy)

Black Elm | Shannon Hayden (b. 1990)

Cassationsstücke (Cassation Pieces) | Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Sevilla from Suite Espagñola No. 1 | Issac Albéniz (1860 - 1909) (arr. Tritton Celli)

Ave Verum Corpus | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Finale from Cello Quartet in D minor | Rudolf Matz (1901-1988)

Lyrical Fragment, Op.1a | Alexander Krein (1883 - 1951)

Cristal | Mariano Mores (1918 - 2016)

CSUF’s Cello Choir, founded and directed byBongshin Ko, is recognized for its wide-rangingr epertoire and dynamic ensemble work. Since its founding in 2001, the ensemble has toured internationally to Germany, France, and South Korea, and has appeared at numerous prestigious venues and musical events, including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the United Nations Headquarters, Kaufman Center (NYC), Seoul Arts Center (South Korea), the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the American String Teachers Association National Conference, Summit New York, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum, and special events such as Judge Judy’s Birthday Concert and the Silva Centennial & Greenhouse Celebrations inNorth Carolina. In Germany, the ensemble has performed at the Mozart Konzertakademie and HfDMK (Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst). Alumni and current members have gone on to receive scholarships and honors from leadinginstitutions and programs including the Heifetz Institute, The Juilliard School, Peabody Institute, New England Conservatory, Michigan Honor Auditions, the ASTA LA Finals Grand Prize, theCSUF Concerto Competition Grand Prize, the Norman Family Cello Scholarship, Bein & Fushi, Dr. C. Baker, Concert World, and numerous international music festival scholarships across Europe and the Far East.
To learn more about the CSUF Cello Choir, visit https://www.fullerton.edu/arts/music/students/ensembles/chamber.php.

Hailed by critics for her “most perfect playing” (Internet Cello Society) and for performing with“great warmth and beauty” (The Strad), cellist Bongshin Ko has appeared worldwide as a soloistwith distinguished ensembles including the Munich Chamber Players, the Television and Radio Symphony of Moscow, the KBS Korean Broadcasting Symphony, the Zagreb Philharmonic, and the Central Broadcasting Symphony of China. She has also appeared as a soloist at major venues including Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, among others.

In 1992, she was honored as the first Korean artist invited to perform in China following the historic resumption of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, and she has since returned by annual invitation. Ko has collaborated with many of the world’s most celebrated artists,including Mstislav Rostropovich, Bernard Greenhouse, Sir Georg Solti, Leonard Stein, Gunther Schuller, Semyon Bychkov, and Valery Gergiev.

In 1997, she appeared with the Korean Symphony at the Seoul International Music Festival, presenting the Asian premiere of Bernard Rands’ Cello Concerto, composed and dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich in celebration of his 70th birthday.

She has been featured at numerous international festivals and events, including the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Kronberg Cello Festival, the Berlin Wall 10th Anniversary Concert, and the Rostropovich & Friends Concert in Germany, as well as engagements throughout France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Monaco, Croatia, the United States, Korea, China, Japan, and Indonesia.

A recipient of more than 30 international prizes and awards—including the highest performance honor in her native Korea and the Crossroads Award in the United States for her “superior teaching”—Ms. Ko is in great demand worldwide as both a performer and educator. She currently serves as President of the Bernard Greenhouse Foundation and as Professor of Cello and Assistant Director at the California State University, Fullerton School of Music, while maintaining an active international performance career across four continents.

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