Brian Kwan Yeung Choi

Hong Kong-born young Violinist Brian Kwan Yeung Choi, has become the first Hong Kong representative to ever participate in the 14th Edition Chinese National Golden Bell Violin Competition in 2023. Brian has won numerous international competitions, including the winner of the Musicus Society's Young Artist Audition program in 2018, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition First Prize in 2017, the New York International Artists Association ( NYIAAb ) First Prize in 2017, the Third Prize in the Boston Pops Concerto Competition in 2017, Third prize in the Bales Violin Competition in 2015, and the Hong Kong Young Musician of the Year First Prize in 2006. Brian has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Musicus Society. Brian is currently an avid violin soloist, chamber musician as well as Concertmaster of the Hong Kong String Orchestra, Guest Concertmaster of the In-heritage Philharmonic, Associate Concertmaster of the Opera Hong Kong.

Brian started learning the violin at the age of six. Brian entered the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts ( HKAPA ) at the age of eight as a preparatory student under the tutelage of violinist Leung Kin Fung, and he obtained the Certificate of Music at HKAPA at the age of seventeen. He recently completed a bachelor's degree and master's degree at the New England Conservatory ( NEC ) in Boston, where he studied with violin masters Paul Biss, and pedagogue Donald Weilerstein. He has participated in several international competitions, including as a semi-finalist in the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition in 2017, the 11th Wieniawski International Violin Competition for Young Violinists, as well as the 6th Tchaikovsky International Youth Violin Competition.

He has frequently performed as a soloist and in chamber music concerts. He often collaborates with famous musicians, including famous cellist Trey Lee, Hong Kong Pianist Colleen Lee, Rachael Cheung, Vanessa Wong, KaJeng Wong, and Hong Kong Violist Born Lau. In 2021, he has invited by the famous cellist Trey Lee to perform Vivaldi Double Concerto with him at the Hong Kong City Hall at the "Musicus International Festival". In the same year, he performed Vivaldi's Winter from "The Four Seasons" Concerto with the famous pianist Colleen Lee at the Hong Kong City Hall. He has been repeatedly invited by the Music Society to perform for Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong. In Jan of 2022, he was invited by the Hong Kong Orchestra to perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. In 2019, he was invited to perform with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist and was highly praised by Maestro Fu. In 2017 he performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto as a soloist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra, and the festival Paesaggi Musicali Toscani as a guest artist in the same year performed a recital in Italy with the legendary pianist Bruno Canino in late August and made his debut recital in Carnegie Hall as the winner of the NYIAA in September 2017.

Brian has extensive chamber music experience, studying with renowned artists including Joel Krosnick, Laurie Smukler, Katherine Murdock, Mai Motobuchi, Yeesun Kim, Roger Tapping, Donald Weilerstein. He has also performed in masterclasses including for members of the American String Quartet, Pacifica String Quartet, Juilliard String Quartet, Emerson String Quartet, Parker String Quartet. He attended the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival summer of 2016 and 2017 and was part of the Aspen Summer Music Festival Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar with the Ceres Quartet 2018.
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Brian is currently an avid violin soloist, chamber musician as well as Concertmaster of the Hong Kong String Orchestra, Guest Concertmaster of the In-heritage Philharmonic, Associate Concertmaster of the Opera Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong String Orchestra
The Association of International Music & Arts Ltd