Cellist Leland Ko has performed as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, Spain. He says that his ever-flowing well of energy and natural inclination toward restlessness led him to make music.

A former mentor once told Ko that “music is about life, not the other way around.” This advice is perhaps manifested in his choice to attend undergraduate school to pursue a degree in German Literature or his interest in calligraphy, origami, competitive tennis, and distance running.

Now, Ko is the latest in the 2022-2023 class of Performance Today Young Artists. In 2022, Ko was a cello candidate in the Queen Elisabeth Competition, one of the most demanding international competitions in the world. And in 2021, he won first prize at the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition. When he’s not practicing, performing, or perfecting his tennis technique, you might find him baking or perfecting his latest recipe for soup.

Ko has been seen with such ensembles as Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, and the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra. As an avid chamber musician, he has also appeared at the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival in Bridgehampton, New York, and the Yellow Barn Festival in Putney, Vermont.

Ko is in his first year as an Artist Diploma candidate at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. He also has a Master of Music from The Juilliard School in New York and an Artium Baccalaureus in German Literature from Princeton University in New Jersey.

Ko appears here in these performances with pianist Adria Ye.

Video: Leland Ko and pianist Adria Ye at Can Can Wonderland, St. Paul, Minnesota