Let's welcome our new Assistant Principal Cellist, Una Gong!
She was born in Seoul, Korea, and moved to New York City with her whole family when she was 16. She studied at The Peabody Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music. She also attended the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, an orchestral study program where you study with members of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. She cites David Hardy (Principal Cellist of the National Symphony) and Amos Yang (Assistant Principal Cellist of the San Francisco Symphony) as being the most influential teachers she's had. Prior to joining us here, she has played with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Dallas Symphony. She has also played with the Sun Valley Orchestra, a summer festival in Idaho. Her impressions of Nashville so far: "People in Nashville seem friendlier than people in NY". Her non-musical interests: "Since I am a vegetarian/ vegan, my goal is not only to stay healthy, but also to save animals and the planet. When I am free, I spend a lot of time on cooking healthy food, listening to lots of classical music and watching Youtube channels of cute animals." After winning a national audition in February of 2020, Una is finally performing with our orchestra.