Cellist Yukyung Na is set to release a new album that showcases her captivating expressiveness and refined virtuosity. Issued by the UK label Sheva Collection, Franck and Shostakovich reveals a more profound and mature musical voice, heightening anticipation among music lovers.
Na completed her studies at the renowned Walnut Hill School for the Arts in the United States and graduated with honors from the Preparatory Program at the New England Conservatory. She later continued her musical journey in the United Kingdom, earning her bachelor’s degree on a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music and graduating with honors from the Royal Northern College of Music. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Michigan State University.
Her exceptional talent was recognized early on when she received acclaim for her concerto performance in the Seoul Arts Center Youth Concert Series and garnered multiple national competition awards. She has since appeared at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, toured Europe with orchestra under the direction of Benjamin Zander, and won first prize in the Royal Northern College of Music Concerto Competition. That winning performance was recorded and broadcast by the BBC, and she was also invited as a soloist to the Buxton Music Festival in the UK.
Passionate about artistic growth through collaboration, Na has taken part in masterclasses with leading musicians such as David Geringas, Arto Noras, and Miklós Perényi. Her mentors include Suren Bagratuni, Raphael Wallfisch, Leonard Elschenbroich, Chris Hoyle, Alexander Chaushian, Allison Eldridge, and Sung-Eun Hong. With this recording as a starting point, she plans to pursue an active performance career in Korea and on the international stage.
Released at the end of the year, the album opens with César Franck’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major, FWV 8, originally written as a wedding gift for the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. Its graceful lyricism reflects the hope and joy of a loving future, brought to life through Na’s close partnership with pianist Dina Duisen.
The program then turns to Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40, a work shaped by the political unrest of its era. The four movements move from flowing arpeggios and dramatic climaxes, through a relentless cello ostinato, into a bleak, song-like lament over dark piano textures, before concluding with renewed energy, wit, and brilliance. Listeners are invited to experience Yukyung Na’s compelling and individual voice as she brings this powerful sonata to life.