Jaemin Han
About this Artist
Born in 2006 in Wonju, South Korea, cellist Jaemin Han came to international attention in May 2021 when he was awarded first prize in the cello division of the George Enescu International Competition, the youngest prize winner in its history. Further prizes at the Geneva International Music Competition and ISANGYUN Competition followed, establishing him as one of the most exceptional soloists to emerge in recent years.
Han has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, the Rotterdam and Luxembourg philharmonic orchestras, Athens State Orchestra, Stavanger Symfoniorkester, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, and Filarmonica George Enescu.
In the 2024/25 season, Han tours South Korea with Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Renaud Capuçon. As part of his 2024 residency at Seoul’s Lotte Concert Hall, he performs alongside violinist Kristóf Baráti and pianist Jae Hong Park and returns in December to give the Asian premiere of Donghoon Shin’s Cello Concerto, “Nachtergebung,” as part of BBC Proms in Korea. This event is preceded by the concerto’s Scottish premiere in Glasgow represents Han’s debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ryan Wigglesworth. He also debuts with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia. In Amsterdam, Han makes his debut at the Concertgebouw with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra, followed by appearances there with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie. Han also makes significant US debuts this season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and in recital at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the La Jolla Music Society. He performs with pianist Alexander Malofeev in recitals in Korea and makes his debut with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
Coming from a family of musicians, Jaemin Han started playing the cello at age 5 and made his debut three years later in his hometown with the Wonju City Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed with all leading Korean ensembles. His exceptional talent was recognized from an early age when he won first prizes at the Osaka International Music Competition 2015, International Cello Competition “David Popper” for Young Cellists 2017, and International Dotzauer Competition for Young Cellists 2019.
Jaemin Han currently studies at the Kronberg Academy, Germany, under the tutelage of Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. Prior to this, he studied with Myung-Wha Chung, Kangho Lee, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts. He is a recipient of a 2020 Shinhan Music Award and holds a scholarship from the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation. Han plays a Giovanni Grancino cello on generous loan from the Samsung Foundation of Culture.