BIOGRAPHY
Joanne Yesol Choi is a Korean-Canadian cellist, artistic director, and the recipient of the Canada Council’s 2025 Virginia Parker Prize, the country’s highest national honour for classical musicians under 32. Named one of CBC’s 30 Under 30 Canadian Musicians, she has emerged as a dynamic voice in the classical music world, recognized for both her compelling artistry and her bold vision for the future of the art form.
A passionate chamber musician, Joanne is a founding member of the Dior Quartet, an ensemble acclaimed for its artistic depth and cultural diversity. From 2021 to 2024, the quartet served as Quartet-in-Residence at the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Their international accolades include winning the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and being featured on major stages across North America, Europe, and Oceania, including Carnegie Hall, Koerner Hall, Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall, Bravo! Vail, Tippet Rise Art Center, and the Banff International String Quartet Festival. The group has also been a finalist at prestigious competitions such as Banffand Melbourne International String Quartet Competition.
She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Eric Kim, Brandon Vamos, and the Pacifica Quartet. Joanne has collaborated in chamber music performances with renowned artists including Orion Weiss, Phillip Setzer, Andrew Wan, Axel Strauss, Owen Dalby, Stephen Lemelin, and the Art of Time Ensemble. Her formative years included principal roles in the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and appearances at major festivals such as Toronto Summer Music Festival, Banff Chamber Music Residency, Beethoven Haus (Bonn), McGill International String Quartet Academy, and the Britten-Pears Program at Snape Maltings.
In parallel with her performing career, Joanne has dedicated herself to mentorship, access, and education. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of two major initiatives: Solegio Arts, a nonprofit organization committed to making world-class music education accessible to the community; and Art of Four Chamber Music Program, a string quartet program designed to nurture the next generation of young string players. These initiatives reflect her mission in advancing accessibility, representation, and innovation within the evolving landscape of classical music.
Joanne has served as a guest lecturer at Stanford University and the University of Toronto, and was on faculty at the PRIZM International Chamber Music Festival and the Mostly Modern Festival USA. She also served as an adjudicator for the 2023 Don Banks Music Awards. Her longstanding connection to the Royal Conservatory of Music includes experience coaching at both the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy and the Oscar Peterson School of Music. A former student of the Taylor Academy, she returned to RCM in 2021 as a Rebanks Family Fellow.
Joanne’s artistic path extends far beyond the classical concert hall. In 2024, she made her debut as a children’s book author with Blob the Colorful Star with her mother Hyunah Yi as the illustrator, commissioned by Autism in Mind Charity, and appeared as a special skills actor in the Netflix TV production Bet. Her poem The Swan was featured on Bristol Lightning’s EP on Spotify, and is a former Grandmaster-ranked Twitch streamer in League of Legends’ TFT. She has also performed for Universal Music Group with pianist Gabriel Olafs, and collaborated with artists such as Mauvey and Sarah Slean.
Through her work as a performer, educator, artistic director, and writer—Joanne is devoted to reimagining classical music as a space of possibility: one that honours tradition, embraces innovation, and reflects the rich tapestry of voices that define our world. Her artistic journey is guided by a deep-rooted belief that the arts can be a living, breathing reflection of our diverse society—and a powerful force for connection, equity, and joy.