Esther Yu, cello

Hometown: Rye, NY

Meet Esther

Esther appeared on Show 316 in Rochester, NY, on January 17, 2016. She also appears on  Show 369, recorded in Boston on March 23, 2019, and with the Clef Trio on Show 324 in New York, NY, on May 24, 2016.

Show 369 bio:

Esther Yu (cello), 18, is a freshman at Harvard University and previously appeared on From the Top at age 15. A native of Rye, New York, she studied with Clara Kim at The Juilliard School’s Precollege Division from 2011-2018. She was a third prize-winner of the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players and a YoungArts Finalist in 2018. Outside of music, Esther loves traveling, playing tennis, and eating good food.

Show 316 bio:

Esther Yu (cello), 15, is from Rye, New York, and attends Rye High School while studying cello with Minhye Kim in The Juilliard Pre-College Division. She won third prize in the 2015 Johansen International Competition in Washington, D.C., and was a semifinalist in the eighth International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. She is also the principal cellist of the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony. Outside of music, Esther loves to volunteer for non-profit organizations, inspired by her father, who goes to Peru as a medical missionary.

Listen to Esther

Show 369, Boston, MA
I. Liturgie de cristal from the Quartet for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

Show 369, Boston, MA
IV. Allegro from Clarinet Trio, Op.114 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Show 316, Rochester, NY
IV. Allegro - Moderato - Allegro, ma non troppo from the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 85 by Edward Elgar

Show 324, New York, NY
IV. Finale. Prestissimo from Piano Trio in C minor, Op.1 No.3 by Ludwig van Beethoven