Hsin-Yun Huang

Hsin-Yun Huang

Violist

Hsin-Yun Huang has forged a career as one of the leading violists of her generation, performing on international concert stages, commissioning and recording new works, and nurturing young musicians. Ms. Huang has been soloist with the Berlin Radio Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Taiwan Philharmonic, the Russian State Symphony, Zagreb Soloist International Contemporary Ensemble; and the London Sinfonia, among many others. She performs regularly at festivals, including Marlboro, Santa Fe, Rome Chamber Music Festival, and Spoleto USA. Other festivals include Moritzburg, Divonne, Cartagena, Prague Spring, Telluride, and Salt Bay, among many others. She tours extensively with the Brentano String Quartet, most notably including performances of the complete Mozart string quintets at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Huang was the Artistic Director of the Sejong International Music Festival which took place at the Curtis Institute of Music from 2013-15. The 2014-2015 season will bring the debut of a series of three chamber concerts presented by the 92nd Street Y. Other recent highlights include complete Hindemith Viola Concerti with the Taiwan Philharmonic and Taipei City Symphony; concerto appearances in the Alice Tully Hall and Central Park of New York City.

Ms. Huang has in recent years embarked on a series of major commissioning projects for solo viola and chamber ensemble. To date, these works include compositions from Steven Mackey (Groundswell), which premiered at the Aspen Festival. Shih-Hui Chen (ShuShon Key) and PoulRuders (Romances) Ms. Huang’s 2012 recording, titled “Viola Viola,” for Bridge Records, included those works along with compositions by Elliott Carter and George Benjamin; the CD has won particular accolades from Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine.

A native of Taiwan and an alumna of Young Concert Artists, Ms. Huang received degrees from The Juilliard School and The Curtis Institute of Music. She has given master classes at the Guildhall School in London, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. She served on the jury of the 2011 Banff International String Quartet Competition as well as the 2015 Honen’s Piano Competition as a Collaborative Artist.

Ms. Huang first came to international attention as the gold medalist and the youngest competitor in the 1988 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. In 1993 she was the top prize winner in the ARD International Competition in Munich, and was awarded the highly prestigious Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award. Ms. Huang was a member of the Borromeo String Quartet from 1994 to 2000. She is a founding member of the Variation String Trio with violinist Jennifer Koh and cellist Wilhelmina Smith. Ms. Huang now serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music. She is married to Misha Amory, violist of the Brentano String Quartet. They live in New York City with their two children, Lucas and Leah.