Hsin-Yun Huang

Recent years Hsin-Yun Huang has been deeply immersed in bringing a new form of communication through her music. The vision is creating a more complete experience that will be memorable to the audiences cross generations and culture.

1) FantaC (2020)

A collaboration between music and dance. Solo viola pieces based on C string threaded together to inspire Ashkenazy Ballet in creation of this choreography. It was an unintended creation as pandemic limited travels. Dancing was filmed in Lugano, Switzerland, the viola playing in New York at Broadway Presbyterian Church and Time Square. The incredible videographer Patrick Mahaney and myself put footage together into film. Now this is showing on premiere Italian Arts Channel Sky Classica for the next few months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB0hG_gLX8A&t=2764s

Hsin-Yun Huang & Ashkenazy Ballet - Silenzio in sala a tempo di Musica

Presentation starts at 8:55.

8:55 Bach 3rd suite C major Prelude

15.08 - Ligeti Hora Lunga

21.38 - Hindemith Prestissimo

23.11 Vieuxtemps Capriccio

27:08 Garth Knox 9 fingers

31:08 Joan Tower Wild Purple

39:18 Bach 5th suite Sarabande/Gigue

46:02 Kenji Bunch 3Gs

Each movement is no longer than 5-7 minutes but offers a visually contrasting expression of the musical content, it is a work that reflects my heart and soul.

Live performances are planned in May 2022, Italy.

2) Musical Postcards (2020) another pandemic creation. The X'mas episode was featured by ClassicFM in the UK which has 4 million viewers. Musical Postcards are expressions inspired by the music.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Hsin-Yun+huang+Musical+Postcards

3) A podcast published by Strad Magazine

https://www.thestrad.com/playing-and-teaching/the-strad-podcast-episode-5-hsin-yun-huangs-philosophies-on-playing-and-teaching/13333.article

The Strad Podcast Episode #5: Hsin-Yun Huang’s philosophies on playing and teaching

4) Recent publications of reflections and philosophy by Hsin-Yun. Published by the Strad Magazine

Why we should all be violists | Focus

https://www.thestrad.com/why-we-should-all-be-violists/11669.article

Chinese calligraphy inspired

https://www.thestrad.com/debate/opinion-relaxed-body-focused-mind/13238.article

Musical architecture - sound in time and space | Focus

https://www.thestrad.com/playing-and-teaching/musical-architecture-sound-in-time-and-space/13487.article

5) Ongoing commissioning project

A duo commission by the most recent Grawmeyer winner composer Lei Liang for Wu Man (Pipa) and myself (Viola). It is turning into a workshop for composers at Juilliard where we will ask students to learn about Chinese instruments and will write for this combination. Premiere will be in Rockport MA June 2022, with three co commissioners to follow in January 2023. The Juilliard School will support its New York Premiere. I hope to include new student compositions into those concerts. With vision to bridge cultures while celebrates and transcends traditions.

VivaViola is a project established in Taiwan and started by violists for violists. This is our 5th year in trying to keep this program going. At the beiginning we drew students from Korea, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia and of course Taiwan. While never had budget to bring the world toTaiwan, this year through digital platform we will present highest caliber workshop and performances with hybrid live and virtual events. Happening in Asia, US and Europe for 48 hour intensives. This workshop will be partnering with Violin Channel and create WeChat platform to reach audiences globally.

Violists Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Samuel Rhodes, Misha Amory, Roger Tapping, Hsin-Yun Huang, Liyuan Liu, Sheng Li, Chun Heng Ho, Sangjin Kim will perform their arrangements live in Asia and New York. Contents will be live streamed, available online for audiences for 7 days. Articles and thoughts based on philosophy, medicine, community building and aim to be inclusive of all viola citizens are made available for all participants.. It will be an exciting 48 hour Olympic event for violists. Our vision and goal is to increase viewership on global level.

https://www.hsinyunhuang.com/vivaviola

www.hsinyunhuang.com

I choose the viola when I fell in love with Haydn Quartets at age 14. Since then has won two International Viola Competitions as Gold medalist at Tertis and ARD Munich International Viola Competitions in the early 90's

But my heart comes back to chamber music again and again. I was part of the Borromeo String Quartet from 1994-2000. From 2000 onward my activities have been a balance and mix of solo playing and chamber music collaborations while deeply committed to teaching the viola at the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music.

A regular guest at chamber music festivals such as Music@Menlo, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Marlboro, Moritzburg, Seoul Spring Festival, Rome, Spoleto Festival to name a few (2004 to present)

Guest of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, collaborated with the Guarneri, Brentano, St. Lawrence, Juilliard, Dover and Esher Quartets.

In 2006 at the invitation of Carnegie Hall, Ms. Huang partnered with the Brentano String Quartet in presenting the complete Mozart Viola Quintet. Also at the Library of Congress performing on their Strads.

She is a faculty member at the Marlboro Chamber Music Festival and Workshop. Has toured multiple times with the most exciting young musicians.

Has served as a juror at the most prestigious chamber music competitions and for the Honor's Quartet program at Juilliard.

As a respected soloist, here are some recent performances.

Concerto Performances with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing (2015+2018) with conductors David Robertson, Xian Zhang

Hsin-Yun is the first solo violist to be presented at the China National Center for the Performing Arts

Concerto Performances with Brazil and Bogota Philharmonic with conductors Max Valdez and Claudio Crus

Concerto Performances with Taipei Philharmonic (2014) with conductor Osmo Vanska

Performing and working closely with Yo Yo Ma, Michael Stern and Yu Long.

It is a unique workshop where Yo Yo's larger than life spirit has such enormous impact on the whole community. Our work days are from dawn to dusk, we discuss everything musical, philosophical, spiritual etc. Students work on core chamber music with us alongside Silk Road Workshop performers to develop skills of improvisation. Everything is based on team work and collaboration.

Michael Stern guides us with vision and musical breadth through his work with the young orchestral players. Faculty have the benefit of sitting in the orchestra under his baton. Yo Yo included. It was truly memorable.

Yu Long is the grandfather whose influence in the classical music development in China will be historical and legendary. The next generation Asian musicians will thank him for his commitment and work.

https://www.ymcgchina.com/en/index.html

This was a performance workshop which involved the highest caliber faculty and students in an intimate setting. Bringing in around 50 Asian students of all disciplines in collaboration with top students in the US violin, viola, cello and piano in various chamber music workings and performances all at the Curtis Institute of Music. I designed the curriculum and single handedly put together more than 30 groups, with seasonal programs and select performers both in Korea and in Philadelphia.

A young financial group organization approached me to help start the festival with promise of funding. Two years down the path I realized there were huge financial grey area which I did not wish to be associated with, hence I broke the relationship.

Invited by the Artistic Director at the 92nd St. Y Hanna Arie-Gaifmann, I presented three viola centered concerts at the 92nd St. Y. Involving artists such as Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Miriam Fried, Leila Josefowicz, Jesse Mills and Fred Sherry to perform with me. We partnered with a downtown venue SubCulture to engage with younger crowds. Each concert was performed twice to great excitement and drew full house.