Olivia Jakyoung Huh ’21 Appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has announced that cellist Olivia Jakyoung Huh ’21 has been appointed to the cello section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She officially joined the ensemble on October 27, 2025, after beginning the 2025–26 Season as one of three CSO Fellows. Huh advanced through the orchestra’s section cello audition process beginning with preliminary rounds in fall 2025 and won the final audition in October. She is the third musician appointed by Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä.
Huh has been performing since early childhood, making her solo debut at age nine on the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series in Seoul, South Korea, the same year she appeared as concerto soloist with the Guri Philharmonic Orchestra. She has earned top prizes at major international competitions, including first prize and a special prize at the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition and first prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition. Her invitations to the Queen Elisabeth Competition and the Geneva Competition led to performance opportunities across the United States, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, China, Spain, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea.
A committed chamber musician, Huh has appeared at prestigious festivals such as the Yellow Barn Summer Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, the Tanglewood Music Festival, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. Her recital credits include performances for the Stradivari Society and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago.
Way to go, Olivia!
