Zlatomir Fung
About this Artist
Cellist Zlatomir Fung burst onto the scene as the first American in four decades (and youngest musician ever) to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition Cello Division. He has since garnered accolades, critical acclaim, and standing ovations at performances around the world, becoming recognized as one of the preeminent cellists of our time. Astounding audiences with his boundless virtuosity and exquisite sensitivity, the 26-year-old has already proven himself a star among the next generation of world-class musicians.
Highlights of the 2025–2026 season include a recital at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and a return to the Aspen, Ravinia, and La Jolla Music Society Festivals. He appears with the Fort Worth Symphony under conductor Peter Oundjian and with the Nashville, Albany, Knoxville, and Pacific Symphonies, as well as the Sacramento and Reno Philharmonics and Sarasota Orchestra.
In April 2025, Signum Records released Fung’s debut album, Fantasies, a collection of opera fantasies and transcriptions for cello and piano to enthusiastic reviews.
Fung served as artist in residence with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2023–2024 season. Other recent debuts include the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and BBC Philharmonic.
Fung has received many distinguished prizes and awards, including the 2017 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2022. As a participant in WXQR’s Artist Propulsion Lab, he wrote The Elves and the Cello Maker, a radio play in which he also performed. Fung has been featured on NPR’s Performance Today and appeared six times on NPR’s From the Top. Fung joined the faculty of his alma mater, The Juilliard School, in 2024 as one of the youngest members of the faculty.
Fung performs on a circa 1735 cello by Domenico Montagnana, on loan from a generous benefactor, and the 1696 “Lord Aylesford” Strad, on loan from the Sasakawa Music Foundation (formerly the Nippon Music Foundation).