Musician Bio

Byul “Bella” Seo, originally from Daejeon, South Korea, secured a position in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2019, following the completion of her master’s degree at Indiana University. Due to the onset of Covid-19, she returned to South Korea and served periodically as a guest principal second violinist with the Daejeon Philharmonic, her hometown orchestra. Bella rejoined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in the 2021 season and has been serving as an acting principal second violinist since the summer of 2023.

During her time at IU, Bella won the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition and subsequently performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Concert Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Thomas Wilkins. She excelled in competitions, earning 1st prizes in the Segye Times Competition and Seoul Arts College Competition, along with top prizes in the Korea-Germany Brahms Association Competition and Sung Jung Music Competition. Bella was invited to perform as a soloist with the Daejeon Philharmonic and Premier Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a chamber musician, she has performed in the Seoul Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. She also attended the Aspen Music Festival as a Fellow, where she studied with Sylvia Rosenberg and Almita Vamos. Bella participated in masterclasses with Pamela Frank, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Erin Keefe, Jonathan Feldman, and Young-uk Kim. She received her bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University under the guidance of Prof. Kyung-Sun Lee and holds a master’s degree and performance diploma from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Prof. Simin Ganatra.