VC ARTIST

Violin Timothy Chooi

Born On December 17, 1993

Born in Canada

Canada

Violin 1709 “Engleman” Stradivarius – on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation, Japan | 1741 “Titan” Guarneri del Gesù – on loan from CANIMEX Inc., Québec (since 2023) | 1761 Landolfi Violin – endowed to him as Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa (since 2022) | 2022 Kurt Widenhaus "Honeybadger" Violin

Bow Michael Vann, ca. 2010 | Nicolas Maline, ca. 1865 on loan from CANIMEX Inc., Québec (since 2023) | François Peccatte, ca. 1850 on loan from CANIMEX Inc., Québec (since 2023)

Education

Curtis Institute of Music | The Juilliard School | Kronberg Academy

Teachers

Notable awards/competitions won

Michael Hill International Violin Competition Major Prize | Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition Second Prize | Astral Artists National Auditions Winner | Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition First Prize | "Prix Yves Paternot" Prize at the 2018 Verbier Festival

https://www.timothychooi.com/

VC Artist and Violinist Timothy Chooi (pronounced “Chewy”) continues to mesmerize global audiences with his performances and musical interpretations. Renowned for his passionate renditions and extensive repertoire, Timothy has cultivated a vast following, with millions of viewers captivated by his artistry both on stage and across digital platforms.

VC Artist Timothy Chooi won First Prize at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hannover, Germany, and later earned Second Prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Competition. His accolades include the Yves Paternot Prize from the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. These achievements have led to performances with top-tier orchestras, including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Belgian National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Wiener Concert-Verein. His appearances at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein Wien, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and London’s Royal Albert Hall have garnered him critical acclaim.

In the upcoming touring season, he is set to collaborate with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Emmy Award nominee composer Brian Tyler. He will also make his highly anticipated return to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

Timothy's music is broadcast globally on prestigious stations, and in 2023, he recorded with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter’s Virtuosi for Deutsche Grammophon. His performance with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was featured on Medici TV, and his work has been aired on NPO Radio Klassiek Amsterdam, WQXR New York, RTBF Belgium, Swiss Public Radio, CBC Radio Canada, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and Danish Public Radio.

Born in Canada, Timothy's multicultural heritage includes Chinese, Indonesian, and Malaysian roots. His journey began at the age of sixteen, with a debut performance with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal) that launched his career on the global stage. Inspired by his older brother, VC Artist Nikki Chooi, Timothy has since established himself as one of the leading violinists of his generation.

In addition to his performance career, Timothy is deeply committed to the art of teaching. As the Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa, he is recognized not only for his virtuosic playing but also for his dedication to nurturing the next generation of musicians. Timothy is celebrated for his innovative teaching methods, which combine traditional techniques with contemporary approaches to violin performance. His students have benefited from his unique perspective as an active performer on the world stage, gaining insights into both the technical and artistic aspects of playing. Under his mentorship, many of his students have gone on to win prestigious competitions and secure positions in leading orchestras worldwide. Timothy's contributions to the academic community have made him a respected figure in the field of music education, where he continues to influence and inspire through masterclasses, workshops, and personalized instruction.

Timothy Chooi performs on a distinguished collection of violins, including the 1741 “Titan” Guarneri del Gesù, on loan from Canimex of Drummondville, Québec since 2023; the 1709 “Engleman” Stradivarius, provided by the Nippon Music Foundation in Japan; and the 1761 Landolfi violin, which is endowed to him as the Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa.

“An Expressive, Powerful, and Nuanced Virtuoso With a Bright Future Ahead of Him”

- The Violin Channel

What are your hobbies outside of music?

I love everything and anything to do with airlines and aircraft models. I’m a geek about airports—not because I love travel, but because I’m fascinated by the engineering of aircraft. I also love baking (since childhood), learning about geography, and understanding how things work—from airport layouts and operations to the chemistry of baking. I also enjoy going to the mountains and walking in silence with my favorite music tracks.

If you were not a musician, what profession would you be doing now?

I’d probably want to be an aerospace engineer. I’ve always been fascinated by things that feel superhuman — and being a musician is one of them. But flying, engineering flight, understanding how aircrafts are created — that’s another form of human brilliance that amazes me. Since I travel so much, I often find myself thinking about how extraordinary it is that we can move through the sky at such speeds. The evolution of flight, the physics, the chemistry, the engineering behind it all — it’s something I find endlessly inspiring. Maybe even working for NASA one day would’ve been the dream.

What would you say makes you unique as a musician?

I think my cultural background has shaped me in a way that’s hard to define in any single label. I was born in Canada, grew up in the U.S., studied in Europe, and my family has roots in Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Taiwanese cultures. In a way, I don’t feel entirely defined by one place or identity — except through music. Music has always been the one constant that helped me make sense of who I am. Beyond that, I’m fascinated by the physicality of the violin — how it feels, how it responds, and how it moves people emotionally. I’m always thinking about the impact music has on others, especially in cross-cultural spaces. I love sharing music with people who may not have felt such deep emotions before, and for me, that bridge — between cultures, between hearts — is where I feel most at home.

What would your dream gig be?

Oh, I’ve got so many. I think part of me really wants to do something that has a huge impact. Music was incredibly powerful for me as a child, so I’d love to be part of something that reaches people at that formative stage. Of course, playing as a soloist with the Vienna Philharmonic is definitely a dream — but imagine the Vienna Philharmonic recording an incredible soundtrack for a movie or a childhood story that every kid in the world hears, and through that, they discover the violin or classical music for the first time. That would be magical.

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

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for classical, and Beat It by Michael Jackson for non-classical. I know I'm old fashion...

Do you keep all 3 meals phone-free?

I try to! But I’m not so great at keeping them YouTube-free.