About
Hailed by the Australian Daily Telegraph as a "viola prodigy," Australian-Korean violist Lisa Sung is a laureate of the 12th Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the 10th Gisborne International Music Competition. She has performed the Bartók Concerto at the Sydney Opera House and has played in other renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Berlin Philharmonie, and Royal Albert Hall. She has had the distinct honor of performing for the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has been featured live on WQXR, Medici TV, 2MBS-FM (Sydney), and has been recognized in both Australian and Korean national publications.
A member of the esteemed Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra since 2023, Lisa brings her passion for chamber music and orchestra to the forefront of her career. An avid chamber musician, she has shared the stage with distinguished artists such as Gary Hoffman, Robert McDonald, Paul Neubauer, and Donald Weilerstein, and has worked closely with the Borromeo, Brentano, Emerson, Juilliard, and Shanghai String Quartets. Her musical collaborations extend across diverse chamber music series such as the Jupiter Chamber Players, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, A Far Cry, Fermata Chamber Soloists, and Mellon Music Festival. Her festival appearances include Music@Menlo, Verbier Festival Academy, Yellow Barn, Perlman Music Program, Four Seasons Festival, Taos School of Music, Krzyżowa-Music, Lac Léman Music Masterclass, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and IMS Prussia Cove.
Lisa has performed extensively with world-class orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony, and has worked under the batons of luminaries such as Herbert Blomstedt, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Esa Pekka Salonen, John Williams, and Jaap van Zweden. She joined the New York Philharmonic’s first international tour since the COVID-19 pandemic to Germany in 2022, as well as the Boston Symphony’s 9-city Europe Tour last summer.
Furthermore, Lisa's deep commitment to using music as a powerful tool to bring people together has been an integral part of her musical journey. This dedication began at age six when she started performing biweekly in nursing homes and hospitals throughout her hometown of Sydney, giving over 300 community engagement performances in a span of twelve years. Since then, Lisa has continued to expand her reach, bringing music to audiences across Europe and Asia, and in various community engagement programs, such as the Gluck Fellowship at Juilliard, Music@Menlo Winter Residency, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, and the Perlman Music Program Community Engagement Retreat.
Beyond her passion for performance and community engagement, Lisa is also a devoted teacher and mentor, working with students privately and online in multiple countries. During the pandemic from 2020-21, she taught sectionals at the Sydney Youth Orchestra, and was a music teacher at several private schools in Australia, including King's School, Abbotsleigh, and her alma mater, MLC School.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Lisa received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School where she was a proud recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship, and earned a Graduate Diploma degree from the New England Conservatory. Her teachers include Paul Neubauer, Cynthia Phelps, and Kim Kashkashian.
Last updated April 2024