VC Artist Galvin Cello Quartet Appoints New Member

Cellist James Baik will succeed Sihao He in the ensemble

VC Artist Galvin Cello Quartet​ gained international recognition after receiving the silver medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition and joining the Concert Artists Guild roster as winners of the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition. 

As its newest member, cellist James Baik succeeds Sihao He, who stepped down from the group earlier this year. He will be joining the Shanghai Quartet as of September 2024. 

The quartet also comprises Sydney Lee, Haddon Kay, and Luiz Fernando Venturelli. The founding members met at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music as students of Hans Jørgen Jensen. 

James Baik was a First Prize winner of the 2023 Susan Wadsworth Young Concert Artists International Auditions and recipient of the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Prize. He is a YCA Jacobs Fellow managed worldwide by Young Concert Artists.

James made his solo debut appearance in 2015 with the Houston Civic Symphony Orchestra and the Clear Lake Symphony in Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 1. He was also a finalist at the 2019 Stulberg International String Competition and received first prize at the Irving M. Klein International Competition. 

An active chamber musician, James has worked with many notable musicians such as Noah Bendix-Balgley, David Finckel, Wu Han, Emanuel Ax, Arnaud Sussmann, Dmitri Murrath, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, Tessa Lark, Gilbert Kalish, Bob McDonald, David McCarroll, members of the Tokyo String Quartet, the American String Quartet, the Pacifica String Quartet, and the Escher String Quartet. 

James attended the Meadowmount School of Music, the Aspen Music Festival, where he participated in the Finckel Wu Han Chamber Music Program, and was invited as a guest artist for the Music of the Vineyards Festival. Recently, James was a fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. 

Raised in Houston, Texas, James’ early education included tutelage from Houston Symphony Associate Principal Christopher French and with esteemed pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen in Chicago. James is currently a Bachelor of Music candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music where he studies with Clive Greensmith.

Baik currently plays on a J.B Vuillaume cello — generously on loan from the Ravinia Institute of Music.

“We are so excited to welcome James Baik as the newest member of the Galvin Cello Quartet!” the group posted on Instagram. “A Colburn graduate and YCA artist, James is not only an extraordinary cellist and musician, but he also brings a special voice and dynamic energy that elevates our artistry as a cello quartet. 

“With James being a former student of our mentor Hans Jensen, we shared an unspoken bond even before our first reading together, laughing and reminiscing about our experiences of being in the Jensen studio,” they added. “We can’t wait to share our music with you all with James as a new addition to the Galvin Quartet family! Stay tuned for our upcoming concerts and incoming content.”