Zlatomir Fung burst onto global stages as the first American cellist to win the Tchaikovsky Competition. His debut album, Fantasies, reimagines opera through the lens of the cello.
Artist Playbook caught up with Fung to talk about the search for meaning beyond technique.
You grew up in a family of mathematicians. What pulled you towards music?
Cello began through my parents, but it didn’t take long before I was drawn in. Chamber music revealed the joy of collaborating and making music with friends.
Winning the Tchaikovsky Competition changed how the world saw you. Did it change how you saw yourself?
Success helped me feel more confident as a performer, but I’ve tried not to let it change my perspective as an artist. At the end of the day, I’m still the cellist I was before.
“You keep the same hands, even after the world changes around you.”
Your debut album centers on opera motifs. What drew you to this subject?
My fascination with opera fantasies and transcriptions comes from my interest in the history of technique. I love that music can change shape when reinterpreted through a different player and instrument.
How do pursuits like chess and cinema shape you as a musician?
My passion is understanding the relationship between craft and inspiration. Creative writing, cinema, and chess all explore that relationship in different ways.
What advice would you give to a rising artist building a life in music?
Be curious, not only about the world around you, but also about yourself. The more I’ve understood myself, the more I’ve found meaning and purpose in my musical work.
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