Begonia Chan

Begonia Chan (b. Hong Kong, 1997) is a passionate and multifaceted cellist whose musical journey began at a young age. Starting with the violin at age four and the piano at five, Begonia's true calling emerged when she picked up the cello at nine. Her talent quickly became apparent, leading to her admission into the Shenzhen Arts School within two years, where she studied under the nurturing guidance of Prof. Yi Hao Zhang.

In 2013, Begonia was scouted by the Royal Conservatoire The Hague to study under acclaimed cellist Lucia Swarts in the Netherlands, where she earned her Bachelor's degree by age twenty. She then pursued a Master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Dresden in Germany under the tutelage of Ramón Jaffé and graduated in 2021 with full marks.

As a versatile musician, Begonia has performed with various orchestras, ensembles, and as a soloist in renowned venues such as the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Kozerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, De Doelen Rotterdam, and the Hong Kong City Hall. She has had the privilege of working with celebrated conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Manfred Honneck, Krzysztof Urbański, Antony Hermus and Benjamin Zander. Notably, she performed as a soloist with the Baden-Baden Philharmonie in 2019 and was solo cello for the performance of Stockhausen’s Orchester Finalisten at the Holland Festival in 2017.

Begonia has excelled in numerous competitions, winning prizes at the Hong Kong Youth Strings Competition, the Hong Kong Virtuosos Music Competition, and the Princess Christina Competition in the Netherlands. She also participated in the National Cello Concours of the Cello Biennale Amsterdam in 2016.

Her artistry has been further enriched through participation in top summer festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, International Summer Academy Mozarteum, and the PyeongChang Music Festival, as well as masterclasses with esteemed cellists including Jian Wang, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Laurence Lesser, Troels Svane, Julian Lloyd Webber, Hans Jensen, Louise Hopkins, and Wolfgang Boettcher among many others.

Begonia has firmly established her presence in the local arts scene since relocating back home to New Zealand in late 2021, and won her first professional orchestral audition with the Auckland Philharmonia in 2022, where she currently holds a tenured position as Tutti Cello.