First and Audience Prize winner at the Amsterdam Cello Biennale Competition, Joann Whang has captivated audiences worldwide with her expressive solo performances and deep commitment to contemporary music. She has appeared as a soloist with ensembles such as the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, NJO New Music Ensemble, and the Dutch Youth String Orchestra. She has performed at festivals including Ravinia, Birdfoot, Delft, Domaine Forget, Giverny, Grachten, and Storioni, with broadcasts on Radio 4 and VPRO's "Vrije Geluiden" in the Netherlands. Joann has performed alongside Martin Beaver, Steven Dann, Misha Dichter, Leon Fleisher, Sol Gabetta, Anssi Karttunen, Johannes Moser, Astrid Schween, David Shifrin, and the Brentano Quartet.
As a founding member of the Argus Quartet, she helped guide the group to critical acclaim with residencies at the Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, and Caramoor Center for Music. The quartet earned First Prize at the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall, Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. Argus has commissioned works from composers including Katherine Balch, Christopher Cerrone, Donald Crockett, Eric Guinivan, Thomas Kotcheff, Shuying Li, and Juri Seo.
Her affinity for contemporary music has led to collaborations with Andrew Norman, Kaija Saariaho, Christopher Theofanidis, and Augusta Read Thomas. Joann has worked closely with cellist Anssi Karttunen at the Acanthes Contemporary Music Festival and studied works by Tristan Murail and Beat Furrer. In addition, she has performed music of young composers and collaborated with Magnus Lindberg and Karttunen at Creative Dialogue. During three seasons at NJO Muziekzomer, she participated in performances of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, works by Kaija Saariaho, and Martijn Padding's cello concerto.
Joann began her musical journey under the tutelage of Orlando Cole and Metta Watts, later studying with Nancy Green in Arizona. She continued her education at the Colburn Conservatory with Ronald Leonard, followed by graduate studies with Aldo Parisot at the Yale School of Music and further refinement with Michel Strauss and Jan-Ype Nota at the Royal Conservatorium of The Hague. She has taken masterclasses with Richard Aaron, Lynn Harrell, Alan Harris, Desmond Hoebig, Ralph Kirshbaum, Mischa Maisky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, and Jian Wang. In 2009, she received a Fulbright Grant to study in France.
Joann has taught chamber music at the Juilliard School and Yale University and given cello and chamber music masterclasses at Princeton University, Colburn Conservatory, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, James Madison University, and Cal State University Long Beach and Northridge.
