Australia’s Queensland Symphony Orchestra Hires New Principal Cellist

Hyung Suk Bae first joined the symphony in 2018 as Associate Principal Cello

Prior to his new official role as Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s (QSO) Principal Cello, Hyung Suk Bae initially joined the ensemble as Associate Principal Cello in 2018 and served as Acting Principal Cello in 2020. 

Bae is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied on full scholarship with Joel Krosnick, the former cellist of the Juilliard String Quartet. He has also studied with Georg Pedersen at the Sydney Conservatorium. 

Additionally, he has played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. As an educator, he holds faculty positions at both the University of Queensland and the Queensland Conservatorium.

He has performed across the U.S., South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia and in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Harris Theater, and the Sydney Opera House. 

His chamber music partners have included Pinchas Zukerman, Charmian Gadd, and Maxwell Foster. Bae has also worked with conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Itzhak Perlman, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Fabio Luisi, John Adams, James DePreist, and Vladimir Jurowski. 

Bae performs on a Giovanni Grancino cello, c.1700 and an Honore Derazey cello, c.1833.

“Congratulations to our newly appointed Principal cellist, Hyung Suk Bae!” QSO posted on Facebook. “It has been a pleasure to watch him grow into one of the leading cellists of his generation. We are very lucky to have him. Please join us in congratulating Hyung on his exciting new role in the orchestra!”