Born in 1994 in South Korea, Bumjun arrived in France at the age of 7 months. He began playing the cello with Paul Julien, and was later guided by Xavier Gagnepain, before being admitted to the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 15, in Philippe Muller's class. He was soon invited to play at festivals in Europe and Asia, before moving to Berlin to continue his training. His international debut as a soloist came at the Philharmonie de Paris and the Seoul Art Center, where he performed alongside conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach.

In 2019, Bumjun will join the renowned Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, where he will have the privilege of learning a whole new repertoire, that of symphonic music, and sharing the stage with the greatest conductors of our time. A passionate chamber musician, he is also a senior member of the Seiji Ozawa International Academy in Switzerland, and a founding member of the Arnold Trio.

In 2020, the trio recorded Beethoven's Opus 9 trios for the Mirare label, a disc that won a Diapason d'Or and a Trophée Radio Classique. Since 2023, Bumjun has been principal cellist at the Staatskapelle Weimar, and currently plays a magnificent 1916 French cello by Sébastien-Auguste Deroux.

Languages spoken: French, English and Korean.


Photo credit: Peter Adamik