Albert Seo *
Cello
Bio
Albert Seo is a Canadian cellist born and raised in Vancouver, BC. He began his studies at the age of seven with Cristian Markos, a current member of the orchestra. Former teachers include Ariel Barnes at the VSO School of Music, Joseph Elworthy at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and Sungyong Lim of the Borealis Quartet. Recently, he studied at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, completing his undergraduate studies in 2021. His professors were Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, and Peter Wiley, former cellist of the Guarneri Quartet.
He also spent summers participating in summer festivals and masterclasses, exploring all types of music with various ensembles. Some of these summer programs included the Aspen Music Festival & School, Domaine Forget, Abbaye de Fontainebleau, and Heifetz International Music Institute. At these programs and schools, he is grateful to have participated in masterclasses with Gary Hoffman, Colin Carr, Lluís Claret, Philippe Muller, Raphael Wallfisch, Paul Watkins, Paul Marleyn, and Roman Borys.
In 2015, Albert was a finalist at the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players and a semifinalist at the Stulberg International String Competition, where he also won the Bach Award. In 2016, he won the senior division of the VSO School of Music Future of Excellence Competition, resulting in the opportunity to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the VSO. Other international competitions he has participated in include Concours OSM 2019 and Isangyun International Competition 2018.
Constantly finding ways to make music more relevant, Albert focuses not only on how he enjoys music but also on how he can share his love with the audience. To this day, Albert aspires to achieve a fluid playing style; though he is interpreting through the cello, he strives to make the performance as organic as possible.
