Hailed for his “seriousness and depth of an authentic concert soloist”, Holgen Gjoni has performed as soloist and recitalist throughout United States, Europe and Asia. Winner of the 1st Prize at the “John Hsu” and “Nancy Tumarkin” New England Conservatory Cello Concerto Competitions, 2-nd Price at The Juilliard Concerto Competition, 1-st Prize at Bucharest Music University Concerto Competition, 2-nd Prize at the Mihail Jora International Cello Competition, Special Prize at Jeunesse Musicales International Cello Competition, Karl Zeise Memorial Cello Award from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Presidential Award from The Boston Conservatory, Jerome L. Greene Fellowship Award from the Juilliard School and the Gregor Piatigorsky Fellowship at the New England Conservatory, he has been praised internationally by critics for his “technique, beauty of sound and emotional projection”, “tempestuous musical sensibility, marked by an ineffable luminosity of expression”, “an elite musician”, while Yo Yo Ma writes of him as “a cellist of great talent”.
A Virtu Foundation scholar, Mr. Gjoni was a visiting cello faculty at The Boston Conservatory (2011-2014), where his “Cello Physics” Masterclasses were enthusiastically received by a sold out audience. He has been invited to teach and perform at Cactus Pear Music Festival, Vianden International Music Festival, Luxembourg, Saarburg International Music Festival, Germany, University of Northern Colorado and the University of Arts in Tirana, (Albania) and has served as teaching assistant at the Juilliard School. Mr. Gjoni joined the cello section of the San Antonio Symphony in September 2015 and is Adjunct Professor of Cello at Saint Mary University, as well as Education Assistant Director at the Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio, Texas.