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Tina Chang Qu, violin
Tina Chang Qu, performs regularly as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. Started to learn the violin at the age of seven, only two years later, she was accepted to the prestigious pre-college of the Central Conservatory of music in Beijing, studied with Prof. Wang Zhen Shan. In 1994, with the invitation, she came to America on a full scholarship from the University of Southern California, to continue studies with Prof. Alice Schoenfeld. Within two months, she won her first competition in US “The 23rd Mozart Festival Concerto Competition”, followed by numerous of others, including the top prize of both ASTA Los Angeles and California competitions, and Pasadena Young concert artist competition, among others. In 1996, Ms Qu was accepted at the world-renowned Curtis Institute of music and earned her Bachelor degree on full scholarship in Philadelphia, where she studied with Felix Galimir, Jaime Laredo, Pamela Frank, and Ida Kavafian. Later on, on full scholarship at Juilliard School, she studied with Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki.
As a soloist, she has appeared with Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Orchestra of China, American Youth Symphony, under maestro Mehli Mehta, Mozart Festival Orchestra, West-Chester Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Claremont Symphony & St. Matthew Chamber Orchestra among others. Soloing “Butterfly Lovers” with United Chinese American Orchestra with Li De Lun for its 40th Anniversary and the CD was released in US and brought highly praise in the world Journey News Paper. As a recitalist, she performed in both East and West coast of US, including Alice Tully Hall, in New York. In Hong Kong, she played recital which was live broadcast by RTHK Radio 4. In 2004, she was invited by the Hong Kong Cultural Presentation Limited to perform in HK City Hall; the DVD has been released in Hong Kong.
As an orchestral musician, she is member of the Los Angeles Opera and associate concertmaster of the New West Symphony. She had worked under numerous of world leading conductors, such as: Simon Rattle, Andre Previn, James Levin, Wolfgang Sawalish, Christopher Eischenbach, David Zinmann and Michael Tilson Thomas and James Conlon. Ms. Qu has been the concertmaster of Pacific International Music Festival in Japan and the Schleswig Holstein international music festival in Germany, also the Associate concertmaster of the Juilliard Opera, Haddonfield Symphony. She is the former member of Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Santa Fe Opera Company.
As a chamber musician, she is a leading member of the “Harmonium Piano Trio & “Munai” Piano Trio that perform actively in LA area and gaining high praise from the audience. She had attended the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan. She has performed in variety of chamber music ensembles in Europe, Asia, and US including the performances collaborated with members of the Prague String Quartet and Vienna String Quartet. As the founding member of the Dragon String Quartet (with HKPO principles) she performed in the city Hall, RTHK TV and Radio. In addition, she has performed in numerous orchestra engagements, such as Verbier Orchestra in Switzerland, Aspen Chamber Symphony and the New York String Seminar. She also performed in many major concert halls, such as the Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Musikverin in Vienna, Kitara Hall in Japan and Kimel Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia.
As a teacher, she is on the faculty at Colburn Community School of Performing Arts. All her students are very appreciative of her teaching in the style that is focused, insightful, fun, encouraging and emphasizing in the understanding and the growth of the musicality. So the students always make rapid improvements over short period of time. She had also taught at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Over the years, her students have won prizes in competitions and scholarships. Among them, they have continued on at the Harvard University, Juilliard, Oberlin and Eastman School of Music, etc. Ms. Qu has been invited to serve on the panel of American String Teachers Association California Competitions and the panel judge for CM. In recent years, she has invited to give recital & master-class at Soochow University in China.
Over the years, she had been interviewed with numerous of Press and Medias, including Panda Channel TV, KCET in Los Angeles, American Voice Radio, Chinese World Journey, China Star, Beverly Hills News, and Channel Jade in Hong Kong.