Leland Ko
Third Prize of the Queen Elisabeth Competition for Cello
◇ 10 November 2026
The Boghossian Foundation is delighted to welcome cellist Leland Ko, Third Prize of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition, for an exceptional evening at the Villa Empain. Carried by the sounds of the cello, this evening will be an invitation to be swept away by the sensitivity of this young virtuoso.
From Johann Sebastian Bach to Sulkhan Tsintsadze, by way of Alexander Tcherepnin and Bright Sheng, the program brings cultures and eras into dialogue, pairing great figures of the repertoire with more rarely performed works.
One of the most demanding, and one of the most widely publicised international competitions, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, ever since its creation in 1937, has established itself as a springboard for young violinists, pianists, singers, and cellists on the threshold of an international career. Steadfastly committed to the project initiated by Eugène Ysaÿe and Queen Elisabeth, the Queen Elisabeth Competition seeks to discover complete artists; it owes its reputation to a prestigious jury, strict rules, and unparalleled media coverage, as well as to the friendly and enthusiastic hospitality offered by an entire country and its Royal Family. The Competition aims, above all, to serve as an intermediary between those young virtuosos and the world’s great musical venues.
Leland Ko holds a bachelor’s degree in German literature from Princeton, a master’s in music from The Juilliard School and an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory. He is a first-prize winner of the Concours Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Concert Artists Guild Louis and Susan Meisel Competition, and the Walter W. Naumburg International Cello Competition. He has performed in venues across America and abroad, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Maison Symphonique in Montréal. Recent engagements include the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, Pro Musica San Miguel de Allende and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. In chamber music he has taken to the stage at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Palm Beach State College and the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall. He is the cellist of Trio Rai, the OAK Trio and the Phaidros Quartet.
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