Albert Seo

In-Person Lessons

Albert Seo is a Canadian cellist born and raised in Vancouver, B.C. He is currently a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble he grew up listening to and now proudly performs with as a colleague among mentors and peers.

Albert began cello studies at the age of seven with Cristian Markos. His former teachers include Ariel Barnes at the VSO School of Music, Joseph Elworthy at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and Sungyong Lim of the Borealis Quartet. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2021, where he studied under Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, and Peter Wiley, former cellist of the Guarneri Quartet.

Albert has participated in internationally renowned festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival and School, Domaine Forget, Abbaye de Fontfroide, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. He has performed in masterclasses for leading pedagogues including Gary Hoffman, Colin Carr, Lluís Claret, Philippe Muller, Raphael Wallfisch, Paul Watkins, Paul Marleyn, and Roman Borys.
In 2015, he was a finalist at the Johansen International Competition for Young String Players and won the Bach Award at the Stulberg International String Competition. The following year, he won the senior division of the VSO School of Music’s Future of Excellence Competition, resulting in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the VSO. He was also a prizewinner at competitions such as the Canadian Music Competition and Isangyun International Cello Competition, and a participant in the Concours OSM.

A passionate and thoughtful musician, Albert constantly seeks to make music relevant and emotionally resonant. He believes in performance as an organic, expressive conversation—striving always for a fluid, unforced style that connects deeply with audiences.