Luke Hsu
violinist
"Luke is in a class by himself with total command of the instrument, fearless technical facility, assertive projection of musical ideas, and rapport with the audience."
Born in Shanghai, raised in Houston, and currently living in Berlin, Luke’s artistic philosophy eschews borders. Believing in the power of art to transcend the boundaries of one’s lived experience, he draws on his passions for history, culture, and folk music in crafting his interpretations, and champions music of our time as enthusiastically as that of the past. His compositions, like his performances, are a testament to his diverse artistic influences.
Luke has appeared as a soloist at Wigmore Hall, Windsor Castle, Kennedy Center, Herkulessaal, Philharmonie Berlin, BOZAR, and many others. He has soloed with numerous renowned orchestras, including the Belgian National Orchestra, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and worked closely with eminent conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Nikolaj Znaider, Hugh Wolff, and Jean-Jacques Kantarow. His performance with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra was recorded and broadcasted on NPR’s Performance Today, and other performances have been broadcasted on Canada’s CBC and Denmark’s DR. He has also played for royalty around the world including His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex Prince Edward and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium.
In addition to his solo appearances, Luke is a devoted and passionate chamber musician. He has collaborated with luminaries such as Itamar Golan, Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Peter Frankl, and Colin Carr. His festival appearances include Verbier, La Jolla SummerFest, Wieniawski, Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Tongyeong International Music Festival. Luke is also regularly invited to Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music.
A laureate of the Queen Elisabeth competition, Luke has won prizes at many of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world. He won the Bronze Medal, the Bach Prize, and the Mozart Sonata Prize at the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the 1st prize at the ISANGYUN Competition. Luke has been consistently lauded for his interpretations of Mozart, receiving another special prize for them at the Wieniawski. His other major prizes have come from the Nielsen, Wieniawski, Michael Hill, and Paganini competitions.
Luke’s compositions have been performed in Boston’s Jordan Hall and Brown Hall, by musicians such as Donald & Vivian Weilerstein, and in Salzburg via TV broadcast. As a teacher, Luke gives frequent masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is currently playing on a 1781 Gagliano violin.
In addition to his solo appearances, Luke is a devoted and passionate chamber musician. He has collaborated with luminaries such as Itamar Golan, Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Peter Frankl, and Colin Carr. His festival appearances include Verbier, La Jolla SummerFest, Wieniawski, Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Tongyeong International Music Festival. Luke is also regularly invited to Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music.
A laureate of the Queen Elisabeth competition, Luke has won prizes at many of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world. He won the Bronze Medal, the Bach Prize, and the Mozart Sonata Prize at the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the 1st prize at the ISANGYUN Competition. Luke has been consistently lauded for his interpretations of Mozart, receiving another special prize for them at the Wieniawski. His other major prizes have come from the Nielsen, Wieniawski, Michael Hill, and Paganini competitions.
Luke’s compositions have been performed in Boston’s Jordan Hall and Brown Hall, by musicians such as Donald & Vivian Weilerstein, and in Salzburg via TV broadcast. As a teacher, Luke gives frequent masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is currently playing on a 1781 Gagliano violin.