Biography

The music-making of Australian cellist, Benett Tsai has been described as “electrifying…flawless freshness” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and “charismatic, heartfelt playing full of fluid intensity” (Sydney Arts Guide). Profiled as a VC Artist on The Violin Channel, he came to attention at the prestigious Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in 2022, where he received both the Third Prize and Special Prize for the Best Haydn Concerto as the youngest competitor. Most recently, he joined the storied roster of Young Concert Artists for management upon winning First Prize at the 2023 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions in New York. He was additionally the recipient of The Stern Young Artist Award from the Linda & Isaac Stern Foundation, and The Michaels Award for a New York recital, which was subsequently listed as one of the best NY debuts in 2024 by New York Classical Review.

Since his mainstage debut at the age of thirteen, Benett has performed actively as a solo artist and chamber musician. He has appeared with orchestras such as the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Lahti, Kammerphilharmonie Metamorphosen Berlin, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy. In recitals, he has been presented at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Berliner Philharmonie, City Recital Hall in Sydney, Helsinki Music Centre, and Melbourne Recital Centre among other venues worldwide.

Notably, he was featured in the 2020 documentary film, The Way Forward, where he collaborated with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

In the 2024/25 season, Benett will perform with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Umberto Clerici, Maryland Symphony Orchestra with Elizabeth Schulze, and the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra. In addition to recitals at The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.) and Merkin Hall (New York), he will also appear at Carnegie Hall for the YCA Season Finale, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and on a nationwide tour of Australia as a part of Selby & Friends. Recent highlights include Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto with the Colburn Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen at The Soraya, and both solo and chamber music appearances at the Verbier Festival Academy.

Born in 2003, Benett commenced playing the cello at the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and teacher, Thomas Tsai. He is currently an undergraduate student of Clive Greensmith at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. In previous years, he also learned with Susan Blake and Li-Wei Qin. His other significant mentors include Ralph Kirshbaum, Steven Isserlis, Alban Gerhardt, and his pianist father, Joshua Tsai.