Dr. Sharon Gayoung Cho
Founder | Artistic Director | Concert Violinist | Master Teacher

“Sharon Gayoung Cho shines on and off stage with musical prowess and a giving spirit.” — The Daily Targum

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Biography

Dr. Sharon Gayoung Cho is a distinguished violinist, award-winning performer, and internationally sought-after pedagogue. Praised for her brilliance on and off stage, she has performed in some of the world’s most celebrated concert halls and guided students to top prizes in competitions and admission to Ivy League universities and leading conservatories.

Born in South Korea, Dr. Cho began violin at the age of three and moved to Vienna as a teenager, becoming the youngest student ever admitted to the University of Music and Performing Arts. She went on to study at the Yale School of Music and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts at Rutgers University, all with full merit scholarships.

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Her concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Mozart Hall, and the Presidential Palace of Austria, with solo engagements with the Košice State Philharmonic (Slovakia). She has collaborated widely with orchestras and chamber ensembles across Europe and the United States.

In addition to her performing career, Dr. Cho serves as Faculty at the Summit Music Festival (New York) and directs a premier private violin studio serving the New York–New Jersey region. Her teaching combines the rigor of the European conservatory tradition with the creative breadth of American music education, inspiring both technical mastery and individual artistry.

As Founder and Artistic Director of Music Matters Lab Collective, she champions equity in the arts by creating access to instruments, mentorship, and performance opportunities for talented young musicians.

Learn more at sharongayoungcho.com and musicmatterslabcollective.org.

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Teaching Achievements

• Students have won top prizes in national and international competitions.

• Performances by students featured at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, and in international broadcasts in Germany, Hungary, and Romania.

• Alumni have continued their studies at prestigious institutions worldwide, including:
  Princeton • Columbia • Yale • University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) • NYU Stern • Duke • Vanderbilt • Emory • Pomona • Rutgers Honors • Manhattan School of Music • Mannes • Conservatory of Vienna • Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.

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Awards & Recognition

• First Prize, Rutgers Concerto Competition (broadcast on 89.1 WWFM)

• First Prize, New York Artists International Competition

• Grand Second Prize, Vivo International Music Competition

• Second Prize, Premio Città di Padova International Competition (Italy)

• Governor’s Prize, Gavrillin International Competition (Russia)

• Multiple First Prizes in leading national competitions in South Korea

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Performance Highlights

• Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall)

• Lincoln Center (Alice Tully Hall)

• Vienna Konzerthaus & Mozart Hall

• Presidential Palace of Austria

• Zimmerli Art Museum (NJ)

• Woolsey Hall (Yale)

• Haydn’s House (Vienna)

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Academic Credentials

(all degrees earned with full merit scholarships)

• Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) – Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, NJ

• Artist Diploma – Yale School of Music, CT

• Postgraduate Certificate & Master of Arts – University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria

• Bachelor of Music – University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria (admitted at age 15, youngest student in program history)

• Pre-College Violin Program – Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, Austria

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Professional Affiliations

• Suzuki Association of the Americas (Certified Violin Instructor)

• American String Teachers Association (ASTA)

• New Jersey Music Teachers Association (NJMTA), Adjudicator