Native New Yorker and cellist, Sebastian Stoger, is a virtuosic passionate soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician who has performed at prestigious concerts, festivals, competitions throughout the world. Sebastian enjoys being an avid player of violin classical repertoire, jazz music, and a wide range of contemporary music. As one who grew up with intense musical training, he is committed to be an advocate for aspiring young artists through his performances and collaborations with educational programs. In April 2025, Sebastian won the Principal Cello position of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Supporting young emerging artists Sebastian has been a member of Omega Ensemble, playing sonatas and chamber music works throughout the New York City/Metropolitan area. He is also a Dacamera Young Artist Fellow in Houston, Texas, where he performs a variety of classical and contemporary repertoire, and serves as a teaching artist in the Houston Public Schools.
On the East Coast, Sebastian has performed in David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, playing works by Mozart. In the summer of 2024, he served as principal cellist of the League of Composers Orchestra in New York City.
In Summer of 2024, Sebastian became a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, collaborating with soloists Alisa Weilerstein and Yunchan Lim, and
performing under conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Klaus Makela, Antonio Pappano, and Vasily Petrenko. Other festival credits include the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, where he performed with members of the Vienna Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Blue Hill, Maine.
Sebastian Stoger grew up in Manhattan, NYC. He began his cello studies starting at the age of 5 at the Special Music School, a public elementary, middle, and high school at the Kaufman Music Center, dedicated to providing young talents with serious musical training. At the age of 9, Sebastian won his first concerto competition. In May 2022, Sebastian was a semifinalist at the 2022 Washington International String Competition. In Spring 2017 he was named a National YoungArts Winner. Sebastian was also featured at the NPR Radio From The Top Show, where he received a Jack Kent Cooke Artist Award.
Sebastian currently plays on a Gaetano Sgarabotto cello, generously loaned to him by Curtis Bryant Fine Cellos.