Violinist JASON YU joined The Cleveland Orchestra as Assistant Principal Second Violin in January 2024 after spending nine seasons with the New York Philharmonic. Previously, he was a fellow at the New World Symphony, in which he served as concertmaster under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas and appeared as a soloist, having won the concerto competition. Yu has performed in the Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Yu started playing the violin at age 5 and attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he was concertmaster and winner of the concerto competition as well as a valedictorian. He went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at The Juilliard School, studying with Naoko Tanaka and Joseph Lin. He received additional instruction from Mark Steinberg at the CUNY Graduate Center.