Dongkyun An, cello & Sarah Ho, piano
Sunday, November 29, 2026 - 3:00 pm
St. Albert United Church
"He moves with the ease of an acrobat - better than some violinists would." Presto o muzyce
Dongkyun An is recognized across the world as a cellist and artist of unique quality, known at the highest for his unorthodox methods and obsession for total artistic control. Presto o muzyce quoted that his debut album ‘Primo’, with pianist Benjamin Smith as follows:
The recording is perfectly produced and leaves the listener in astonishment and wonder for the incredible talent.
By the age 24, Dongkyun An had already been a top prize winner in major competitions: Concours OSM in 2010, International Johannes Brahms Competition in 2011, and Prague Spring International competition in 2012.
As a soloist, Dongkyun An performs regularly throughout Europe, and North America. Notable soloist appearances include: Pilsen Philharmonic, Karlovy Vary Symphony, Edmonton Symphony. As a passionate recital artist, An has performed in notable venues such as Tonhalle Zürich, Conway Hall, Wigmore Hall. Latest highlights include a debut recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2014. As a member of the Lipkind Quartet, Dongkyun An has toured extensively throughout Europe. Notable venues include Tonhalle Zürich, Hessischer Rundfunk, and AMUZ.
An is a frequent guest artist in various festivals such as GAIA kammermusik festival and has collaborated with artists such as Artiom Shishkov, Lena Neudauer, Anna Lipkind, Ivry Gitlis, Roman Zaslavsky, Tatiana Samouil, Jan Talich, and Gavriel Lipkind.
After receiving his first cello lesson at the age of 13 by Chun-Ja Choi, his important mentors in his life have been Tanya Prochazka, Colin Ryan, Raphael Wallfisch, Martin Zeller, and Gavriel Lipkind. An received his Master of Music degree from the Zürich Musikhochschule in 2011.
Sarah Ho is an accomplished Canadian pianist who grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and has performed internationally as a soloist and ensemble player.
Sarah has performed in notable venues and summer festivals around the world, including the Shubert Theatre on Broadway in New York, the Kennedy Center, the Banff Festival for the Arts, the National Arts Centre Young Artists Programme, the Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, Weekend of Chamber Music in New York, and Rudersdal Sommerkoncerter in Denmark. Sarah also travelled to China with Edmonton’s WindRose Trio, where they became the first Canadians to perform at the Harbin Summer Music Festival in Harbin, China.
She has performed as a guest artist with orchestras in Canada including the Edmonton Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and also enjoys playing orchestral piano with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
A two-time winner of the Sir James Lougheed Award of Distinction from the Government of Alberta, Sarah holds degrees from Indiana University and Yale University, where she studied under renowned pianists Menahem Pressler and Claude Frank. In Edmonton, Sarah’s teachers included Wolfram Linnebach, Stéphane Lemelin, and Marek Jablonski.
She is a founding member and the Artistic Director of the Edmonton Recital Society, an organization she is passionately committed to. A dedicated teacher, Sarah is on the faculty of the MacEwan University Conservatory of Music, where her students have won prizes at the local and national levels.
Sarah currently resides in Edmonton, Canada with her husband Colin and their two sons, Markus and Sebastian. An avid runner, Sarah has completed 14 marathons, including the 2022 and 2023 Boston Marathons.