VC ARTIST

VC Artist and Australian cellist Benett Tsai has performed actively as a solo artist and chamber musician since his main stage debut at the age of thirteen. He came to international attention as a top prizewinner at the 2022 Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann where he was the youngest competitor. Most recently, he joined the roster of Young Concert Artists upon winning the 2023 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions in New York. He was additionally the recipient of The Stern Young Artist Award from the Linda & Isaac Stern Foundation, The Anne & George Popkin Cello Chair, and The Michaels Award for a New York recital, which was subsequently recognized as one of the best NY debuts in 2024 by New York Classical Review.

As a soloist, Benett has appeared with orchestras such as the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Lahti, Kammerphilharmonie Metamorphosen Berlin, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy, and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked with conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nicholas Milton, and Joseph Bastian.

Upcoming highlights include the Queensland Symphony Orchestra with Umberto Clerici, and the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra with Elizabeth Schulze.

In recitals, Benett has been presented at The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Berliner Philharmonie, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Kaufman Music Center (New York), City Recital Hall in Sydney, and Melbourne Recital Centre among other venues worldwide.

Notably, Benett was featured in the 2020 film, The Way Forward, where he collaborated with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Born in Sydney, Benett commenced cello studies at the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and teacher, Thomas Tsai. He is currently an undergraduate student of Clive Greensmith at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. In previous years, he also learned with Susan Blake and Li-Wei Qin. His other significant mentors include Ralph Kirshbaum, Steven Isserlis, Alban Gerhardt, and his pianist father, Joshua Tsai.