Gil Ensemble
cello & piano
GIL ENSEMBLE
CELLO & PIANO
DANIEL HAMIN GO
CELLO | VIOLONCELLE
BENJAMIN SMITH
PIANO
Daniel Hamin Go resonates: in his physical presence, his chosen instrument, and in how his repertoire echoes what he is exploring on a personal level. In the moment that he first drew the bow across a cello string, an illumination within confirmed that playing this instrument is what he is here to do.
Daniel’s recordings are distinguished by themes that endure across cultures and generations. An internationally active cellist, he is the founder of The Gil Ensemble, a creative world where music, storytelling, and emotional experience converge.
In Korean, gil means “the way” or “the path” – a fitting term for an ensemble whose music connects cultures and points toward what lies ahead.
Music and art at large are not defined by genres. first and foremost, They reach into people’s hearts to serve as a source of inspiration and solace, and TO bring diverse groups of people together.
“Together, these pieces weave a path from darkness toward light – a testament to hope, resilience and the unyielding human spirit.”
> Daniel Hamin Go on his debut album “Arirang”
DANIEL HAMIN GO
When Daniel Hamin Go first drew the bow across the open C string, the cello’s vibrations resonated throughout his entire body. He remembers being moved and filled with light – a light that has guided his desire to explore the truth that lies in life, in music, and in himself.
It’s the light that fuels his need to connect with audiences and to share interpretations that demand a full commitment to emotional expression – and it’s what’s propelling his international career as a soloist and chamber musician.
Go has performed across three continents, making appearances at the Berliner Philharmonie, Cadogan, Carnegie Hall, Flagey Studios, and Konzerthaus Berlin.
As an avid chamber musician, Go has received invitations to festivals including the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, IMS Prussia Cove, Kronberg Academy, Krzyzowa Music, Mendelssohn on Mull, Music Academy of the West, Ravinia’s Steans Institute of Music, Tsinandali Festival, and Yellow Barn, and his chamber partners include Jonathan Biss, Glenn Dicterow, Miriam Fried, David Geber, Ida Kavafian, Richard O’Neill, Daniel Philips, Rachel Podger, Wolfgang Redik, Fazil Say, Barry Shiffman, and Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.
Go’s 25-26 season includes collaborations with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Platypus Theatre, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, The Annex Singers, and the Five at the First.
Go’s education took place in six institutions across five countries, regularly participating in masterclasses with Steven Isserlis, Ferenc Rados, and Rita Wagner. Go received a Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Julia Lichten and David Geber, a Master of Music at the Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’ Berlin in the class of Nicolas Altstaedt, and as a recipient of the prestigious Bicentenary Award and the Drake Calleja Trust Award, Go completed an Advanced Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music. During the 2021-22 season, Go was an artist-in-residence at the coveted Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel working closely with Gary Hoffman. During the 2022-23 season, Go held a fellowship position at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Residency Program.
In 2025, Go released his debut album, ARIRANG (Orchid Classics).
He performs on a cello made by Antonio & Rafaelle Gagliano, Naples ca. 1830, generously on loan by CANIMEX INC., from Drummondville (Quebec), Canada.
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