Born in 2006 in South Korea, gained international recognition in 2021 as the youngest-ever winner of the Grand Prix at the prestigious George Enescu International Competition. Additional accolades, including prizes at the Geneva International Music Competition and ISANGYUN Competition, have firmly established him as one of the standout young soloists of his generation.
Han has performed with prestigious orchestras worldwide, including the Seoul Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, the Rotterdam, Tokyo and Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestras, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. Among his career milestones are the inauguration of BBC Proms in Korea with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, a residency at Seoul’s Lotte Concert Hall, his US debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and appearances at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw on European tours.
Collaborating with renowned conductors such as Myung-Whun Chung, Jaap van Zweden, Gustavo Gimeno, Andris Poga, Ryan Wigglesworth, Alexandre Bloch, Pietari Inkinen, and David Reiland, Han performs an extensive repertoire, from Shostakovich, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, and Haydn, to works by Isang Yun, Friedrich Gulda, Richard Strauss, and George Enescu.
In the 2025/26 season, Han embarks on a series of exciting projects, beginning with a recital at the Septembre Musical Festival in Switzerland alongside his pianist partner Alexandre Malofeev. He then heads to North America, where he will make his highly anticipated Canadian debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Earl Lee, followed by his recital debut at the iconic Carnegie Hall in New York City. Han’s touring schedule includes two visits to Korea: first with the renowned Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov, then with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Michael Sanderling. He also returns to Paris at the invitation of Myung-Whun Chung for his debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and performs in Bucharest and Warsaw with the Enescu Philharmonic under Gabriel Bebeşelea. In Austria, Han makes his debut with the Tonkünstler-Orchester under Fabien Gabel, while in Germany, he will perform for the first time at the Isarphilharmonie with the Münchner Symphoniker, playing Brahms’ Double Concerto alongside violinist Guido Sant’Anna.
In 2022, Han made his discographic debut with a showcase recital for Stage+ by Deutsche Grammophon, featured in their ‘Rising Stars’ series. He then recorded Isang Yun’s Cello Concerto with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and David Reiland, released by Decca Records in autumn 2024.
Coming from a musical family, Han began playing the cello at age five, debuting with the Wonju City Symphony Orchestra at eight. He went on to win first prizes at the Osaka International Music Competition (2015), David Popper Competition (2017), and Dotzauer Competition (2019). Currently studying at the Kronberg Academy under Wolfgang-Emanuel Schmidt, Han previously studied with Myung-Wha Chung, Kangho Lee, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts. A recipient of the 2020 Shinhan Music Award, he is currently supported by a scholarship from the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation.
Jaemin Han plays a Giovanni Grancino cello, generously loaned by the Samsung Foundation of Culture.