Hailing from Holmdel, New Jersey, Jessica Hong is a first-year Cello Fellow at the New World Symphony. As an avid orchestral musician, she has performed with the Princeton Symphony and Apex Ensemble, as well as led the Juilliard Orchestra as Principal Cello for four years. Ms. Hong has also had the privilege of performing under the batons of Marin Alsop, David Chan, Gustavo Dudamel, Jeffery Milarsky, Peter Oundjian, Sir Antonio Pappano, Nimrod Pfeffer and David Robertson.

In addition to her orchestral experiences, Ms. Hong is an alumna of the Music Academy of the West, Kneisel Hall, Orford Arts Centre and the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop. She has performed at many venues across New York City, including Juilliard’s Morse and Paul, Alice Tully, Carnegie, David Geffen and Merkin halls. She has also had the privilege of playing in master classes and lessons with artists such as Myung-wha Chung, Luis Claret, David Geber, Rebecca Gilliver, Frans Helmerson, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Alan Stepansky and Jian Wang.

Ms. Hong holds a bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Joel Krosnick. She continued her studies at Juilliard and recently received her Master of Music degree, where she was a proud recipient of the Genevieve Kniese Chaudhuri, M. & E. Cohen and Juilliard Scholarships. During her master’s program, she studied under Clara Minhye Kim, who was also her mentor during her time in the Juilliard Pre-College Division.

Recognizing the importance of community engagement, Ms. Hong was awarded with the Morse and Concert fellowships at Juilliard, allowing her to teach music to elementary school students across New York City. She also served as a mentor in one of the Juilliard Pre-College orchestras, a role that she had admired and looked up to when she had been a student there herself.

Ms. Hong looks forward to this new chapter at New World Symphony. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, exploring new restaurants and spending time with friends and family.