Nai-Yuan Hu 胡乃元,  violinist Since winning the First Prize in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition of Belgium in 1985, violinist Nai-Yuan Hu has appeared on many of the world’s stages, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Avery Fisher Hall in New York and major venues in London, Paris, Munich, Tokyo and other cities in Europe, North and South Americas and Asia. In praise of his playing, BBC Music Magazine wrote, “Taiwanese violinist Nai-Yuan Hu is an awesomely capable performer whose technical facility, musical intelligence and unfaltering verve place him among the higher echelons of today’s string virtuosi.” Mr. Hu’s solo engagements include appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London, Toronto Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Netherland and Rotterdam Philharmonic orchestras, Liège Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille in France, Haifa Symphony, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Taipei City Symphony, China and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras and others. With the Belgian National Orchestra, he toured throughout Germany in such cities as Munich, Hannover and Dortmund. He has collaborated with such conductors as George Cleve, Adam Fischer, Leon Fleisher, Gunther Herbig, Emmanuel Krivine, Jahja Ling, Shao-Chia Lu, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Gerard Schwarz, Maxim Shostakovich, and Hubert Soudant, among others. Mr. Hu has given recitals in such venues as Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall in New York, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Purcell Room in London, Casals Hall in Tokyo, and Jordan Hall in Boston where he premiered Bright Sheng’s “The Stream Flows” in 1990. Other engagements include appearances in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Dallas, Montreal, Toronto, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, The Hague, Toledo (Spain), Bergen (Norway), Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai. In Taiwan, he was the featured soloist in the 1987 Inaugural Concert of the National Concert Hall and performed in special concerts for two successive Presidents in the Presidential Palace. In summer seasons, Mr. Hu has appeared either as a guest soloist or chamber music artist in such festivals as Mostly Mozart, Marlboro, OK Mozart, Seattle, Grand Teton and Newport. A chamber music enthusiast, he has collaborated with such musicians as Fou Ts’ong, Martha Argerich, and Misha Maisky in the 1999 Beijing Music Festival, and participated in the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society concerts and Brooklyn’s Bargemusic series. Mr. Hu is the music director of Taiwan Connection Music Festival, which he founded in 2004 to promote chamber music in his homeland. In 2007, TC String Orchestra, consisting of young talented Taiwanese musicians, was formed. Two years later, a full complement of winds was incorporated into the group, which became TC Chamber Orchestra. In 2010, performing without a conductor, the TC musicians tackled Beethoven Eroica Symphony to critical acclaims. Mr. Hu’s recording of Goldmark’s Concerto and Bruch’s Concerto No. 2 with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony on Delos label, garnered “Critics’ Choice” from Gramophone as well as praises from many publications including BBC Music Magazine, The Times of London, and The Washington Post. His solo violin album Unaccompanied… on EMI label (with cover and art work by the popular Taiwanese cartoonist Jimmy) received two Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan for the best classical album and instrumentalist categories. A recording of much beloved music from the fin-de siècle city, Vienna Revisted, was released in 2003. Mr. Hu has made recordings for Koch and Sunrise. In 2001, Mr. Hu appeared in a cameo role as the rooftop violinist serenading Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman in the Miramax romantic comedy, Kate & Leopold. In that same year, he collaborated with Lin Hwai-min and his Cloud Gate Dance Theater, performing Taiwanese composer Hsu Tsang-Houei’s Five Preludes for Solo Violin in an outdoor presentation that was attended by over ten thousand people. Born in Taiwan, Mr. Hu began studying the violin at age five and was soloist with the National Youth Orchestra of Taiwan three years later. He came to the United States in 1972 to continue his studies, first with Broadus Erle and later with Joseph Silverstein. At Indiana University, he studied with Josef Gingold and also served as Gingold’s assistant after graduation. Mr. Hu and his wife June Huang currently live in New York City. (2013)

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