Born in Victoria, British Columbia, internationally-acclaimed violinist and esteemed Curtis alumnus Nikki Chooi (’12) has established himself as an artistic force to be reckoned with and a musician of rare versatility. Praised by Gramophone for performing with “total conviction and assurance” and New York Classical Review for his “warm tone and heartfelt playing” and dazzling “virtuosity,” Mr. Chooi is currently concertmaster of the GRAMMY-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under music director JoAnn Falletta. Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth and Tchaikovsky Competitions, he was awarded first prize at the Montreal Symphony’s ManuLife Competition, the Klein International Strings Competition, and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.
At age four, Mr. Chooi began studying the violin in the Suzuki Method at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and became a protege of late Canadian violinist Sydney Humphreys at age nine. His formative musical training continued at Morningside Music Bridge and the National Arts Centre Young Artist Programme. In 2000, at age 12, he made his orchestral debut with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and recorded Joseph Haydn’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in C major with the Sinfonia Toronto Orchestra, which was broadcast across Canada via CBC Radio. Three years later, in 2003, he entered the Mount Royal Conservatory in the studio of violinist Bill van der Sloot and came to Curtis in 2007, where he studied with Ida Kavafian, the late Joseph Silverstein (Violin ’50), and worked closely with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Pamela Frank (’89), and Peter Wiley (Cello ’74), before furthering his training at the Juilliard School under the mentorship of violinist Donald Weilerstein.
Highly in demand as a guest concertmaster, he has performed with the Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Houston, and Sydney symphonies and the Macao Orchestra. Previously concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mr. Chooi’s solos can be heard through The Met: Live in HD broadcasts in productions of Verdi’s La traviata, Janacek’s Jenufa, and the Grammy-nominated recording of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier released on the Decca Label. He has made critically acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall with Orchestra NOW, and has been featured soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and other renowned orchestras.
Nikki Chooi often shares the stage with his prize-winning violinist brother Timothy Chooi (’17), performing as the Chooi Brothers. In this video they collaborate with alumna Michelle Cann (Piano ’13), Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies at Curtis, as part of the Violin Channel‘s Vanguard Concerts Series.
Additionally, Mr. Chooi has collaborated with esteemed artists such as Yo-Yo Ma; Renee Fleming; Curtis alumnus Eric Owens (Opera ’95), director of vocal studies and Curtis Opera Theatre; and Time for Three. A passionate educator, he has presented classes at Curtis, Morningside Music Program at the New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Orchestra of the Americas Academy, Sphinx Academy, Hong Kong Cultural Center, and the University of Auckland. Mr. Chooi has recorded for Naxos, Beau Fleuve, Atoll, and Decca labels. He performs on a 1713 Stradivarius courtesy of CANIMEX INC. from Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, a 1749 G.B Guadagnini on extended loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago, and a 2016 Joseph Curtin. Mr. Chooi proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings.
To learn more about Nikki Chooi, visit his official website HERE.
Please visit the Curtis Institute of Music Open Archives and Recitals (CIMOAR). Learn more about Curtis’s library and archives HERE.
Photo Credits: 1 & 2.) Portraits of Nikki Chooi by Den Sweeney. 3 & 5.) Courtesy of the Mr. Chooi’s official Facebook page. 4.) Photo of Mr. Chooi and music director JoAnn Falletta in rehearsal with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; courtesy of the artist’s Facebook page.
Prior to his time at Baylor, he served as chief conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and as music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, where he now holds the title of music director laureate. Mr. Harth-Bedoya has also held music director positions with the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand; the Eugene Symphony in Oregon; the Lima Philharmonic Orchestra in Peru; the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall; and served as director of orchestral studies at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.
“I want to welcome all of you today to this 91st Commencement at Curtis—graduates, parents, and families, faculty, trustees, staff, and friends. This is always a wonderful occasion. It’s also bittersweet for us because all of you that we’ve gotten to know so well over a few years, sometimes many years, go on to the next chapter of your life and your career. We couldn’t be more proud of everything you’ve accomplished so far, and we send you to the next part of your career with tremendous enthusiasm. We are looking forward to all of the great things that you will accomplish next.”
Andrew Senn (Organ ’00), director of music and organist at Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, provided the ceremony’s prelude, interlude, and postlude, opening the ceremony with Johann Sebastian Bach’s majestic Prelude in E-flat major, BWV 552/1 followed by Dan Locklair’s PHOENIX Processional as the students and faculty members entered Field Concert Hall.
“I can’t wait to see where the connections we have made here take all of us. Connections have been made, not just with fellow students, but with our awesome team of collaborative pianists, incredibly patient liberal arts and musical studies teachers—who at this point have achieved sainthood—and of course the incomparable performance faculty. No matter how much you try to envision your future, it is these people who will play a role in shaping it in ways you never could have dreamed of. Embrace the diverse perspectives, knowledge, and opportunities all of these people bring to the table, and craft something meaningful out of it. We’ve been given the time to put everything into our craft and now it’s time to give back and do something with it.”
“Those who would suppress our speech in our music have also learned to bring noise, this time as a means of obscuring the truth and confusing well-meaning people who just can’t figure out who’s telling the truth. Some among us are using this baleful world situation to presume an experiment in the destruction of liberal education whose object is the erasure of history and culture. This is a topic I’m quite familiar with from firsthand experience as I address what I’ve called the ‘cone of silence’ draped over the work of Afro-diasporic composers with my co-edited recent book, Composing While Black. Not to mention all those book-banners who always seem to find a problem with books by LGBTQ people and people of color. You know, they won’t stop there. Your right to rock and your right to rap is next, and classical music will not be exempt. There are still more erasures—our nation’s refusal to kick a tradition to white supremacy, homophobia, and patriarchy is triggering an autoimmune response that threatens the entire world. But even as these people are doing all that banning, they’re also admitting how much they fear your awesomeness as musicians.
Acclaimed Curtis alumna Yumi Kendall (’04), assistant principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, inspiring citizen artist, podcaster, pedagogist, and educator, welcomed the new graduates. Ms. Kendall shares her experiences navigating the frightening moment in 2011 when her livelihood and close-knit artistic community was threatened when her beloved Philadelphia Orchestra filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. She discusses the inspiring steps she took in the face of uncertainty, including pursuing and receiving a master of applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. This path stemmed from her belief in classical music’s powerful role in human flourishing and the importance of cultivating healthy organizations as pathways to serve the arts and public community.
Season 18 of WHYY’s acclaimed On Stage at Curtis series continues with a portrait of alumnus Jack Bryant (’23). The horn player from Atlanta, Georgia, entered Curtis in 2019 and studied with Jeffrey Lang and Jennifer Montone before graduating last spring. Before entering Curtis, he was contracted with the Atlanta Opera and performed with the New World Symphony and Symphony in C. The Curtis graduate now serves as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, playing in the 27-time GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble’s horn section.
Inspired by legendary horn player Barry Tuckwell, Mr. Bryant grew up listening to his recordings and expressed his admiration for the musician’s technique and how he played with such stylish bravado and confidence. He discusses the different designs of the natural and valve horns, their storied history, and how soloists of the era between 1775 and 1850 were some of the most famous instrumentalists of their time. Mr. Bryant also talks about his distinctive Geyer-style double horn, itself a historical instrument produced by Carl Geyer—a German instrument maker who immigrated to the U.S. in 1904 and designed the configuration of the tubing that has become the standard design—in the mid-1950s.
Curtis Opera Theatre’s 2023–24 series recently closed with a critically acclaimed production of Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. Directed by John Matsumoto Giampietro, conducted by Curtis alumnus Vinay Parameswaran (’13), and featuring a cast of rising young opera stars, members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and young singers of the Philadelphia Boys and Girls Choirs, this 20th-century masterpiece received raves by both OperaWire and Parterre Box.