VC ARTIST

VC Artist and Australian cellist Benett Tsai has performed actively as a soloist and chamber musician since his mainstage debut at the age of thirteen. He came to international attention as a top prizewinner at the 2022 Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, where he was the youngest entrant. Soon after, he joined the roster of Young Concert Artists upon winning First Prize and The Stern Young Artist Award at the 2023 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. His subsequent recital was listed by New York Classical Review as one of the best debuts in 2024, and he is currently part of the Lausanne-based Classeek Ambassador Programme for the 2025/26 season.

As a soloist, Benett has appeared with orchestras such as the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Lahti, Kammerphilharmonie Metamorphosen Berlin, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy, and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. He has also collaborated with renowned conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Umberto Clerici, Joseph Bastian, Nicholas Milton, and Elizabeth Schulze.

In recitals, Benett has been presented at the Berliner Philharmonie, The Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, La Jolla Music Society, Kaufman Music Center (New York), City Recital Hall in Sydney, and Melbourne Recital Centre among other venues worldwide. He has also made appearances at the Verbier Festival, Rose Theater at Lincoln Center with Emanuel Ax, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, and Musica Viva Australia.

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

Born in Sydney, Benett began playing the cello at the age of five under the guidance of his uncle and teacher, Thomas Tsai. He currently studies with Clive Greensmith at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he holds a Bachelor of Music degree. In previous years, he also learned with Li-Wei Qin and Susan Blake. His other significant mentors include Ralph Kirshbaum, Steven Isserlis, and his pianist father, Joshua Tsai.

Benett plays on a 1719 Giuseppe Guarneri 'filius Andreae' cello, on loan from a generous benefactor.