Paloma So, at age 17, is a rising star of the violin world who already has a significant performance and repertoire history. Described as playing “with calmness, yet with majestic momentum” (Huang Yi, Xinghai Conservatory) at her most recent performance of the Shostakovich Concerto in Guangzhou, Paloma has been a student of Zakhar Bron since the age of nine, and currently studies with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein at the Juilliard Pre-College.

 

Paloma made her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014 followed by concerts with the Fujian Symphony Orchestra and a performance at the G20 Gala Dinner in Australia. In 2015 Paloma was the Second Prize winner at the prestigious International Wieniawski Competition for Young Violinists in Lublin, Poland, and in 2016 First Prize at the 8th International Violin Competition in Novosibirsk, Russia as the youngest participant in the competition’s history. 

 

In 2017 Paloma toured around Japan, Singapore and Taiwan with the China Philharmonic Orchestra, and won First Prize at the Moscow International Television Contest for Young Musicians “Nutcracker.” In 2018, she performed at the International Musical Olympus Festival Gala and Closing Concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Trans-Siberian Arts Festival in Tokyo, and the Shanghai International Arts Festival. She toured with the China Philharmonic again, this time in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

 

In 2019 Paloma performed alongside Maxim Vengerov at the Buckingham Palace, and was invited to perform at the Nature Conservancy Gala Dinner in Hong Kong to raise awareness and funds towards wildlife conservation. Later in the year, her performance with the Xiamen Philharmonic received the Best Concert Award at the Busan International Music Festival.

 

After a brief interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Paloma resumed regular performances, including appearances at the Beijing International Music Festival in the fall 2020 and with the China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestras during their New Year’s festivities. 2021 saw Paloma perform at Youth Music Culture Guangdong, at the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s Season Finale concerts, and at the Yidan Prize Awards Presentation Ceremony. Her most recent performance was with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, performing Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, in June 2022.

 

In addition to her extensive concert activity, Paloma already has a developed concerto repertoire, including those by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Dvorak, Glazunov, Lalo, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Paganini, Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski. 

 

She has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, St Petersburg Capella State Symphony, as well as the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony, Fujian Symphony, Thailand Philharmonic, and Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others.

 

In Asia Paloma has given concerts and recitals at venues such as Yellow Lounge of Deutsche Grammophon Shanghai, Tokyo Suntory Hall, the Singapore Esplanade, Tokyo Kawasaki Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall and Taipei National Theater; in Europe, at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Mariinsky Theater, Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and the Buckingham Palace. 

 

Paloma will perform the Brahms Violin Concerto with the China Philharmonic in April 2023. In 2024 Paloma is invited to perform with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and in 2015 will tour with Yu Long and the China Philharmonic around the US.