VC ARTIST

Violin Sirena Huang

Born On May 18, 1994

Born in United States

United States

Violin Guarneri del Gesu violin, Cremona 1739 “Kortschak”, on loan from The Ryuji Ueno Foundation and Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative

Education

The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music

Teachers

Itzhak Perlman, Sylvia Rosenberg, Stephen Clapp, and Hyo Kang

Notable awards/competitions won

Gold Medalist of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, First Prize at the 2017 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, winner of the 2017 New York Concert Artist Worldwide Debut Audition, First Prize Gold Medalist at the 6th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, top prize winner at Singapore International Violin Competition and Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, First Prize at the 2011 Cooper International Competition in 2011, 2013 Hannloser Prize for Violin at the Verbier Music Festival

www.sirenahuang.com/

American violinist Sirena Huang is rapidly building an international reputation as a young string virtuoso of outstanding potential.

"A complete package – commanding, highly virtuosic, and polished. Sirena's ready to perform on any stage, anywhere in the world"

- The Violin Channel

A graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Itzhak Perlman and Sylvia Rosenberg, Sirena is the Gold Medalist of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis — where she was also awarded eight of the eleven special prizes.

In 2017, she was awarded First Prize at the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, and later that year, she was the winner of the New York Concert Artist Worldwide Debut Audition. She was also the First Prize Gold Medalist at the 6th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, as well as a top prize winner at Singapore International Violin Competition and the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition.

Sirena made her solo debut with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in 2004 at the age of nine, and, since then, has performed in seventeen countries across three continents. She has been featured as a soloist with more than fifty prestigious ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestras of Cleveland, Baltimore, Shanghai, Russia, and Singapore, and the Staatskapelle Weimar in Germany. She has appeared as a guest artist at the Verbier Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Sarasota Arts Series, Albuquerque Chamber Music Festival, “The Great Music for a Great City” series in New York City, and many others.

Highlights of the 2024-25 season include a recital tour of Taiwan with performances at the National Concert Hall in Taipei and the Weiwuying Recital Hall in Kaohsiung. Multiple recitals in the United States will culminate in her Carnegie Hall debut recital in Zankel Hall in April 2025 and a debut recording on the Azica label as part of her Gold Medal prize at The Indianapolis. Sirena will appear in concerto engagements with the Hartford, Santa Fe and Southeast Missouri symphonies, the Louisiana Philharmonic and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Passionate about chamber music, Sirena will also perform chamber music concerts in Dallas and Montreal.

What are your hobbies outside of music?

I'm Taiwanese, so naturally I'm a huge foodie!! During the pandemic, I found my love for cooking too and it's been my hobby ever since.

If you were not a musician, what profession do you feel you’d be doing now?

Hard to imagine what my life would be like not being a musician! But I love photography and cinematography. I would probably seek out something in the film industry.

What would your dream gig be?

I don't necessarily have a gig in mind, but my dream is to see much more diversity in our classical music world. In order for that to happen, there is so much more learning I need to do and so much more work that needs to be done individually and collectively. If one day our halls could be filled with more young BIPOC audiences, that would give me so much joy and hope for our industry!

What is a song that makes you turn the radio up?

I have been obsessing over Stuff Smith's recordings!

What would you say makes you unique as a musician?

I have a very specific idea of what kind of sound best represents what I want to say in my music so I always work towards that. I think because of that, my sound and music expression can be very personal and distinct. And on a broader perspective, I believe music is a universal language, but that can only be true when all voices are heard. As a performing musician, I recognize the platform I have and therefore always try to use it in a way that shines light on voices that have been unfairly suppressed and unappreciated throughout history. I don't think this is "unique" to me as I know there are already many musicians and artists out there that are doing amazing work with this but I do sincerely hope more musicians can make it a priority too.

Do you keep all 3 meals phone-free? No social media scrolling.

Most of the time, meal times are my chance to relax or respond to messages so I do use my phone then. However, there are occasions when the food is so good that I simply cannot do anything else other than to fully enjoy it!