Welcome to Young In Na, who is joining our Cellos

At what age did you start playing your instrument, and what made you choose it? Were there any memorable early experiences that made you realise you wanted to do this as a career?

I started playing music when I was three. My mom was an oboist and she loved her life as a musician so she wanted me to stay close with music. My first music teacher was my aunt, who is a violist. She taught me the violin for a year and she told my mom there was no hope for my violin playing. However, my mom never gave up and made me play the piano, which also was not my instrument (I still hope to play it better). At age six, I finally met the cello and fell in love instantly. I am still not sure what attracted me so much to the cello, but perhaps this unconditional love is what has kept me going until now.

Do you have any heroes on your instrument?

I love listening to many different cellists but someone who gives me endless inspiration and passion for music is Knut Weber. A few years ago, when I felt somewhat lost in making music, I attended one of his piano quartet concerts and his music lit a fire in my heart again. Since then, my musical life has changed a lot and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet and study with him. Now he is not only my cello hero but also a mentor who has shown me what kind of person I want to become as I grow older.

Something you might not know about me:

I am a cat lover and I like to draw my cat Suri despite my poor drawing skills. I recently painted my cello case into a light blue colour with my cat playing cello on the side, which I am feeling very much satisfied with. I also like collecting fountain pens and inks and I am thrilled there are many stationary shops in the UK for it.

If you could go back, what advice would you give your younger self as an aspiring musician?

Have a big heart, meet more people and go out to have more sunshine. Music is not limited inside the practice room but a lot more in the nature and people you will get to meet!

What are you most looking forward to in the rest of this LSO season? Any conductors, soloists or repertoire that catch your eye? Any stand-out tour destinations?

I am very much looking forward to being on tour in July with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin because he was the person who made me fall in love with playing in an orchestra. He frequently visits Curtis Institute of Music, where I completed my Bachelor’s degree and he was the first conductor I ever played with back when I was 13.

Another project I am looking forward to is a long tour next year in Aix-en-Provence. All of the repertoire is amazing and I am especially looking forward to La Traviata with Sir Antonio Pappano. Opera always brings me happiness, it’s usually heavenly long and heavenly joyful.

If you had to pick, what is your favourite piece of orchestral music, and why?

I would say Sibelius’ Symphony No 2. I personally love the cold air and broadness of Finland and this music always brings me back there. There is also another reason I like it a lot – during my college years, it was one of the works on our year-end concert program with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Our rehearsal room had a huge window and it started to snow when we began the last movement. It was in the middle of April and Philadelphia almost never gets snow at that time of year. It fitted perfectly with the music and was a surprise event for all of us!

What piece of orchestral music would you recommend to someone who has never heard an orchestra before, and why?

I would like to recommend Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations. It was also the first orchestral music I had ever heard performed live and I am sure this music will make anyone dive into this world. Each variation is dedicated to Elgar’s friends, so every one of them has its own unique personality. Listening to it feels like reading a book, the whole life story will come to you like a whirlwind.

Does your instrument have an interesting story or history behind it?

I met my cello when I was eleven. I was very short back then (which I am still), so everybody told me I looked like I was hanging on the cello. I knew the size was not a good fit for me at the time but I was captured by his mellow and deep sound. After many years my cello is now a good size for me and I still love him for his sound.