About Evelyn
Seventeen-year-old cellist Evelyn Joung is the winner of the Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition and the youngest 2023 YoungArts National Finalist. In 2024, she was invited to the 73rd ARD International Competition in Munich, Germany—one of the world’s "Big Five" classical music competitions—where she participated as the youngest competitor and one of only six American cellists under 30.
Evelyn has earned major recognition as a soloist on both national and international stages. She was a semifinalist in the 2024 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco and in the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players in Washington, D.C. (2022, 2025). Her first prizes include the Bravura Philharmonic Young Artists Concerto Competition, Adelphi Orchestra’s Young Artists Competition, and Camerata Artists International Competition (all in 2022), as well as several other international awards dating back to 2016. She was also the alternate winner of the 2019 Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition.
Evelyn made her orchestral debut in 2022 with the Orchestra of Camerata New Jersey at Merkin Hall. In 2023, she performed Herbert's Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony under the direction of Tito Muñoz at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater. She went on to perform with the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra in their Season Finale Concert and later with the New York Chamber Players Orchestra. In recognition of her artistry, she received a grant to perform in the 2024–25 season of the Young Artists Performances series.
She has captivated audiences at many prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage and Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, New World Center in Miami, and both Paul Hall and Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Juilliard.
An avid chamber musician, Evelyn co-founded the Happy Feat Trio in 2022. The trio was a finalist in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition and a quarterfinalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (2023). They were also selected as the sole ensemble to represent Juilliard Pre-College at ChamberFest 2025 and performed in the Wednesdays at One series at Alice Tully Hall.
Evelyn later founded Sonus Aureus, a cello-piano duo that became a finalist in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Annual Young Musicians Concert. Previously, she was a founding member of Tres Gracias (2020–2023), which earned top prizes at the ENKOR International Music Competition, IMM Concorso (Italy), and the New York Young Virtuoso Competition, where the ensemble also received the Young Virtuoso Prize (2020).
Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Evelyn began studying the cello at age six. She has studied with Clara Minhye Kim and attended the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division since 2019. She received a full scholarship to the Morningside Music Bridge Summer Festival (2021) and participated in the Perlman Music Program from 2022 through 2025. She also attended the 2023 National YoungArts Week in Miami, Florida. Evelyn has worked with distringuished artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Laurence Lesser, Zvi Plesser, Steven Doane, Clive Greensmith, Ole Akahoshi, Natasha Brofsky, and Jan Vogler, among others.
Evelyn is dedicated to creating meaningful impacts in her community through classical music. As an active member of Pro Sono since 2017, she has performed monthly recitals at senior homes and hospitals throughout New Jersey and New York. In 2024, she organized a fundraising concert supporting Uber Street Mission, a non-profit serving children in North Philadelphia.
The same year, Evelyn launched the Upper East Side NYC Region of the Back to BACH Project, where she serves as Regional Director, organizing presentations and performances to inspire younger students' interest in classical music. A devoted cat lover, Evelyn also volunteers as a cellist at animal shelters in New Jersey, performing soothing pieces for the shelter's cats and staff.
Evelyn is currently a student at The Chapin School in New York City, where she leads the Instrumental Chamber Ensemble.