Timothy Chooi

Timothy Chooi
Timothy Chooi with the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra in Chengdu, China
Born (1994-12-17) 17 December 1994
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
OccupationViolinist
Known for
RelativesNikki Chooi (brother)
Musical career
GenresClassical
Instruments1714 "Dolphin" Stradivarius, 1741 "Titan" Guarneri del Gesù violin, 1761 Landolfi violin
Years active2010–present
Websitewww.timothychooi.com

Timothy Chooi is a Canadian violinist and professor at the University of Ottawa of Chinese–Indonesian heritage. He gained international recognition after winning First Prize at the 2018 International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition and Second Prize at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition. He is also a prizewinner of the International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, and received the Grand Prize at the 2010 Montreal ManuLife Competition.[1] He has performed internationally as a soloist and leader and in 2026, he was appointed Artistic Partner of the Wiener Concert-Verein.[2]

Early life and education

Timothy (Timmy) Chooi was born in Victoria, British Columbia, where he spent his early childhood. He was raised in a family of Chinese descent who immigrated from Indonesia, and during his youth, his family also spent time in the United States , where his father worked in Florida.[3] He later attended high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he completed his secondary education and graduated with top honors.[4] He has one older brother, Nikki Chooi, a violinist who previously served as concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.[5]

Chooi received his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Ida Kavafian and Pamela Frank. He later earned a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, studying with Catherine Cho, and completed a Professional Studies diploma at the Kronberg Academy in Germany with Christian Tetzlaff. He has also studied privately with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec, and his career has been supported by musicians including Anne-Sophie Mutter, with whom he has collaborated in performances and touring projects.[6]

Performing Career

Chooi began playing the violin at the age of three using the Suzuki method at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with Esther Tsang. He made his orchestral debut at the age of seven, performing with his brother and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. In 2007, he was invited to perform with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra at the celebration concert "Splash" for an audience of over 50,000 people.[7]

In 2010, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Ida Kavafian. Shortly thereafter, he was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2010 Montreal ManuLife Competition[1] and made his concerto debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Jean-François Rivest. His performance was described as "the miracle violinist" by critic Claude Gingras.[8]

In 2018, Chooi was awarded the Prix Yves Paternot at the Verbier Festival, becoming the first violinist and the first Canadian and American to receive the prize.[9] The award included a cash prize and a series of concert appearances across Europe.[10]

Chooi rose to international prominence after winning First Prize at the 2018 International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Hanover.[11] He was the first Canadian to receive the top prize. In 2019, he was awarded Second Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, leading to concert engagements including performances with the Brussels Philharmonic under Stéphane Denève and recital appearances across Europe and Asia.[12][13]

He has since performed internationally with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Brussels Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra,[14] National Arts Centre Orchestra,[15] Toronto Symphony Orchestra,[16] Auckland Philharmonia, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, and the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, among others.

In addition to his orchestral appearances, Chooi is active as a recitalist and chamber musician, performing across Europe, North America, and Asia. He has collaborated with artists and conductors including Gianandrea Noseda, Kent Nagano, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zukerman, Stéphane Denève, Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Yoav Talmi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and Benjamin Zander. He has also collaborated with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi on international tours, performing at major concert halls including the Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. His performances have been noted for their intensity and technical command.[17]

In 2026, Chooi was appointed Artistic Partner of the Wiener Concert-Verein, a Vienna-based chamber orchestra with musicians from the Vienna Symphony.[18] The appointment followed an ongoing collaboration with the ensemble beginning in 2022. His first projects in the role included performing and directing Antonio Vivaldi's ''The Four Seasons'' at the Brahms-Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna, as well as performances in Aix-en-Provence and Grenoble.

Teaching and academic work

Chooi joined the School of Music at the University of Ottawa in 2021 as Assistant Professor of Violin at the age of 27, becoming one of the youngest faculty members in the institution's history.[19] In 2025, he was promoted to Associate Professor and appointed Head of Strings.[20]

In the same year, he was awarded the University of Ottawa's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Research Award for his work exploring new approaches to classical music and cultural engagement.[21][22]

Chooi is a co-founder of the VISION Collective, an initiative established in 2018 focused on community outreach through music, particularly working with immigrant and refugee communities.[23] The project has included performances and workshops in refugee communities in Europe and North America, and received the Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach from the Juilliard School.[24]

In addition to his performing career, Chooi has given masterclasses and workshops internationally, engaging with students and young musicians through educational and outreach initiatives.[25]

Instruments

Chooi performs on several historic violins, including the 1741 "Titan" Guarneri del Gesù, on loan from Canimex of Drummondville, Quebec since 2023;[26] the 1714 "Dolphin" Stradivarius, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation, previously played by Jascha Heifetz and Ray Chen;[27][28] and a 1761 Landolfi violin, provided through his position at the University of Ottawa.

Awards

In 2010, Chooi was awarded the Grand Prize at the OSM Standard Life Competition (one of the youngest recipients in history).[29]

  • 2010 Grand Prize Winner of the Montreal ManuLife Competition, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  • 2012 Winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank, Toronto, Ontario, Canada[30]
  • 2013 Recipient of the Vadim Repin Scholarship Award[31]
  • 2014 Laureate of the 2014 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition
  • 2015 Bronze Medal at the 2015 Michael Hill International Violin Competition[32]
  • 2015 Winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Music Instrument Bank[30]
  • 2017 Milka Violin Award from the Curtis Institute of Music[33]
  • 2018 First Prize Winner of the Schadt Violin Competition[34]
  • 2018 Winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Music Instrument Bank
  • 2018 Recipient of the "Prix Yves Paternot" from the Verbier Festival in Switzerland[9]
  • 2018 First Prize Winner of the International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition[35]
  • 2019 Second Prize Winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition[36]
  • 2021 Recipient of the Nippon Music Foundation Rare Instrument Loan[37]
  • 2022 Recipient of the Norman Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant from The Juilliard School in New York City
  • 2022 Recipient of the Gershen Cohen Violin Award The Juilliard School in New York City
  • 2025 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Prize, University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Timothy Chooi | Orchestre symphonique de Montréal". Osm.ca. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Violinist Timothy Chooi named Wiener Concert-Verein artistic partner". The Strad. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  3. ^ McFarlane, Matthew. "Chooi Boys Documentary". CBC.ca.
  4. ^ "Right notes". 23 November 2010. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2023 – via PressReader.
  5. ^ "Virtuosi Violins - Jeunesses Musicales du Canada". Jmcanada.ca. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Timothy Chooi: Honeymoon with Violin". Gasteig München. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Victoria Symphony Canada | Splash Young Soloist". Victoriasymphony.ca. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  8. ^ Gingras, Claude (24 November 2010). "OSM / Timothy Chooi: the miracle". La Presse. La Presse. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  9. ^ a b Devlin, Mike (6 November 2018). "Victoria violinist wins $75,000 music prize". Times Colonist. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Timothy Chooi awarded Verbier Festival Academy's highest honour". theStrad. Newsquest Specialist Media Limited. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Timothy Chooi of Canada Wins 2018 Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover". Violinist.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Timothy Chooi wins 2018 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition". theStrad. Newsquest Specialist Media Limited. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Hannover & Queen Elisabeth Comp Top Prizes". The Violin Channel. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Visiting Artists: Timothy Chooi". cso.org. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  15. ^ Robb, Peter. "NACO: Timothy Chooi's passion for Tchaikovsky concerto started at age 17 – ARTSFILE". Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  16. ^ "Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto". Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Review: Tchaikovsky and Dvořák – Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Chooi, Alevtina Ioffe". Bachtrack. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  18. ^ "RCM Alumnus Timothy Chooi appointed Artistic Partner of Vienna's Wiener Concert-Verein". The Royal Conservatory of Music. 16 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  19. ^ "VC Artist Timothy Chooi Joins Musique University of Ottawa Faculty (June 9, 2021)". The Violin Channel. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  20. ^ "VC Artist Timothy Chooi Becomes Head of Strings at University of Ottawa". The Violin Channel. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Violinist Timothy Chooi earns EDI research award, changing classical music through research". University of Ottawa. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Setting the tone: Timothy Chooi at the University of Ottawa presidential installation". University of Ottawa. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Reaching Immigrant Communities with The VISION Collective". Violinist.com. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Reaching Immigrant Communities with The VISION Collective". Violinist.com. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Bowing down to a new Maestro". Marvin. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  26. ^ Rowat, Robert (14 March 2019). "Watch Timothy Chooi play Paganini's Caprice No. 24 on his $5.5 million Strad". cbc.ca. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  27. ^ "Results of the 26th Instrument Loan Committee Meeting". Nippon Music Foundation. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  28. ^ "Canadian star Timothy Chooi receives loan of Heifetz's famed "Dolphin" Stradivarius". Classic 107. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  29. ^ "En bref - Un violoniste gagne le concours OSM". Le Devoir (in French). 23 November 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  30. ^ a b "Instrument Bank Grants Rare Violins, Cellos To Young Artists". CBC.ca. CBC News. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  31. ^ "Vadim Repin International Masterclass Scholarship Competition | American Fine Arts Festival (AFAF)". Afafestival.com. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  32. ^ William Dart (15 June 2015). "Much to love about competition". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  33. ^ "VC Young Artist Timothy Chooi Awarded 1st Prize at Hannover's Joseph Joachim Competition". 26 October 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  34. ^ "VC Young Artist Timothy Chooi Awarded 1st Prize at American Schadt String Competition". 6 March 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  35. ^ "Timothy Chooi". Musical Instrument Bank. 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  36. ^ "Timothy Chooi". Concours Reine Elisabeth. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  37. ^ "Results of the 26th Instrument Loan Committee Meeting". 日本音楽財団 (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 August 2021.
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