Lisa Sung
SPCO Musician
Hailed by the Australian Daily Telegraph as a "viola prodigy," Australian-Korean violist Lisa Sung is a laureate of numerous international competitions including the 12th Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the 10th Gisborne International Music Competition. She has performed the Bartók Concerto at the Sydney Opera House and has played in other renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Berlin Philharmonie, and Royal Albert Hall. She has had the distinct honor of performing for the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has been featured live on WQXR, Medici TV, 2MBS-FM (Sydney), and has been recognized in both Australian and Korean national publications.
Lisa is a guest musician with world-class orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony. In the summer of 2022, she joined the New York Philharmonic on their tour of Germany, which was followed by a Krzyżowa-Music Festival tour of Poland and Germany. This summer, Lisa is set to embark on a European tour with the Boston Symphony Orchestra before she begins her new permanent position with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra beginning in the 2023-24 season.
A passionate chamber musician, she has performed alongside distinguished artists such as Gary Hoffman, Paul Neubauer, and Donald Weilerstein, and has worked closely with the Borromeo, Brentano, Emerson, Juilliard, and Shanghai String Quartets. She has participated in prestigious music festivals such as Music@Menlo, Verbier Festival Academy, Yellow Barn, Perlman Music Program, Four Seasons Festival, Taos School of Music, Krzyżowa-Music Festival, Lac Léman Music Masterclass, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and IMS Prussia Cove.
Furthermore, Lisa's deep commitment to using music as a powerful tool to bring people together and provide comfort to those in need has been an integral part of her musical journey. This dedication began at age six when she started performing biweekly in nursing homes and hospitals throughout her hometown of Sydney, giving over 300 community engagement performances in a span of twelve years. Since then, Lisa has continued to expand her reach, bringing music to audiences across Europe and Asia, and in various community engagement programs, such as the Gluck Fellowship at Juilliard, Music@Menlo Winter Residency, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, and the Perlman Music Program Community Engagement Retreat.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Lisa recently earned a Graduate Diploma degree from the New England Conservatory, studying under the guidance of Kim Kashkashian. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Paul Neubauer and Cynthia Phelps as a proud recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship. Her previous mentor is Tobias Breider.