Formed in 2019 at Seoul National University, the Dōnum Quartet has quickly established itself as a compelling young ensemble on the international stage. The quartet made its debut at the Seoul Arts Center and was featured in the Kumho Young Chamber Concert in August 2025. In the United States, they appeared as semi-finalists of the 2025 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition, performing at Gilda Lehman Hall at the Morgan Library in New York. The Dōnum Quartet has also participated in the Robert Mann String Quartet Institute at the Manhattan School of Music in January, where they performed in Greenfield Hall. Additional summer engagements include Encore Chamber Music Festival and Kneisel Hall, where they were praised for their musical depth.
Now an active ensemble based in the United States, they received the Silver Medal at the 9th Manhattan International Music Competition in September 2025 and were awarded Second Prize at the 2026 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. They are also scheduled to compete in the 12th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in May. They have been invited by Jinjoo Cho, Artistic Director of the Encore Chamber Music Institute, to serve as the residency quartet, and will also perform as an alumni quartet of the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival.
Long before officially forming the Dōnum Quartet, the members were close friends who grew up making music together—traveling, studying, and sharing countless memories since their high school years in Korea. That long-standing bond continues to shape their music today, giving their performances a sense of trust and joy that they are excited to share with audiences.
Seungwon Park holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance from Seoul National University. She is currently completing her Master of Music at the New England Conservatory. In Korea, she won prizes at the Ewha-KyungHyang Competition, the Segye Ilbo Competition, and the CBS Competition.
She has participated in summer programs including Kneisel Hall and ENCORE Summer Academy, continuing to develop her work in chamber music.
In addition to her work with Donum Quartet, she is an active and dedicated chamber musician. She performed in Jordan Hall, presenting Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Devin Cholodenko’s Twilight at Dawn, and Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor. She has worked with artists such as Ara Gregorian and Laurence Lesser, and has also served as Concertmaster of the String Orchestra.
Her principal teachers include Soovin Kim, Young Uck Kim, and Hongjun Kim.
She plays on a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, awarded to her as the winner of the New England Conservatory Violin Competition.
Inhae Cho graduated with honors from Seoul National University and is currently pursuing a Master of Music Arts degree at the Yale School of Music. She made her debut at the Seoul Arts Center Recital Hall in 2021 in the “A Young Musician Lighting the Future of Classical Music,” recital, presented by the Eumag Chunchu Concert Series.
As a soloist, she has appeared in concerts such as the Stars of Tomorrow Concert with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra at Kumho Art Hall and the SIA Society of International Artists’ album release concert featuring music by Vivaldi and Corelli. She has received prizes in competitions including the Joongang Music Concours, the Osaka International Music Competition, and the Music Education News Competition.
An active chamber musician, Cho performs with the Donum Quartet and has worked with Mark Steinberg and Misha Amory of the Brentano String Quartet. At Yale, she performed at the 2025 Vista Concert and later presented Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 1 after a semester of study with Professor Emeritus Michael Friedmann.
Cho is also recognized as an accomplished orchestral musician. She participated in the 2024 Verviers Music Festival Orchestra and is currently a substitute member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
She studies with Ani Kavafian and has previously studied with Jane Jeongyeon Kim and Jihee Lim.
Ilgyeong Shin, viola, is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Paul Neubauer, with graduation expected in May 2026. She previously studied at Seoul National University with Eun-Sik Choi, where she graduated as the principal of the string department.
Recognized for her musical maturity from an early age, Shin made her orchestral debut at fourteen as a soloist with the Moldova National Radio Symphony Orchestra and later appeared with the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra at sixteen. She is a prizewinner of the Ewha-Kyunghyang Competition and was invited to perform at the Chosun Ilbo Young Artists Concert following her graduation from Seoul National University.
After this debut performance, she was selected by critics as one of the year’s most outstanding emerging musicians, and a feature article on her performance was published in Chosun Ilbo, one of Korea’s leading national newspapers.
Hyeonmin Lee is a South Korean cellist currently pursuing his Master of Music degree under Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory. A graduate of Seoul National University, where he earned his degree with Honors, he made his recital debut in 2022 at the Seoul Arts Center Recital Hall in the “Chosunilbo Debut Concert,” presented by Chosun Ilbo, one of Korea’s leading media organizations.
Hyeonmin was selected as a recipient of the Seongjeong Hwangjin Scholarship Foundation, and he has been recognized with several prizes in competitions such as the Ewha-Kyunghyang Competition and the Segye Ilbo Competition. As a soloist, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra and the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra. He plays on a 1795 William Forster cello on loan from New England Conservatory.