Six young cellists receive master class lesson in Bend from LA Philharmonic cellist

(Update: Adding video, comments from 2 performers, High Desert Chamber Music, Cascade School of Music)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Six young cellists performed and got some valuable feedback in a master class in Bend on Saturday. The students played before Los Angeles Philharmonic cellist Ben Hong at the First Presbyterian Church. 

The master class was put on by High Desert Chamber Music. in collaboration with the Cascade School of Music and the Oregon Branch of the American String Teachers Association.

Six cellists from Bend, Eugene, Portland, Vancouver and Lake Oswego performed before Hong, who is on the faculty of USC's Thornton School of Music and Colburn Conservatory.  

Kaleo Kronberg from Bend and Andy Shin of Portland were two of the six chosen to perform for Hong, who also gave a concert Friday night at the Tower Theatre.

Kronberg said, "It was really cool, just especially after hearing Ben play last night, like seeing him as a teacher and like the way that he was able to like guide us to playing in different ways and trying different things"

Shin said, "I think it was just really cool to have someone that could teach me how to maybe do something more musical, or do something more technical."

High Desert Chamber Music's mission is to bring world-class chamber music and musicians to Central Oregon. 

Executive Director Isabelle Senger said this is the fifth year they have offered master classes with performing artists. 

"This is the first collaboration that we've had with the Cascade School of Music being the premier chamber music organization here in town and being the premier educational musical organization here in town," she said. "It was a perfect fit, and we look forward to many more."

Senger said, “We had a great variety of applicants this year to perform in this class, and showcasing exceptionally talented students from around Oregon is one of the highlights of our educational programs.”

The students selected to perform included Kaleo Kronberg (from Bend), Pearl Liao (Vancouver), Jacob Park (Lake Oswego), Sophie Phillips-Meadow (Eugene), Annie Rhew (Portland), and Andy Shin (Portland). They ranged in age from 13-21 years old, and came from the private teaching studios of Marilyn De Olveira, Hyun-Jin Kim, Valdine Mishkin, Steven Pologe, Michael Scott, and Maria Shim. They performed works by Elgar, Bach, Popper, Boccherini, and Tchaikovsky.

Hong joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1993 and now serves as Associate Principal Cello, appointed by Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. He was the featured soloist in the movie “The Soloist” starring Jaime Foxx, and was honored to perform at the Staples Center in part of a program to celebrate Kobe Bryant’s life. Hong is on the faculty of USC’s Thornton School of Music and the Colburn Conservatory, and frequently presents clinics and master classes in the U.S. and abroad.

High Desert Chamber Music’s 2022-23 season, presented by Mission Building, concluded with Hong performing in a concert Friday evening at the Tower Theatre, joined onstage by International prize-winning pianist Ning An. It was sponsored by Hayden Homes.

Now in its fifteenth season, HDCM presents an acclaimed series of classical chamber music concerts, ranging from piano duos to string sextets. As the premier and leading chamber music organization in the region, HDCM offers an exciting roster of professional performing artists.