NEC Student Wins Third Prize at The 2016 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition

Following an intense week of rounds in which 24 young violinists competed in a wide range of repertoire, the 2016 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition announced that New England Conservatory student, Luke Hsu, (’14 M.M. ’16 G.D.) has been awarded third place and will receive an 8,000 Euro prize.

Hsu currently studies at NEC with Donald Weilerstein and will graduate this May.

The Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition creates understanding and strengthens the appreciation for classical music; its one-week long competition schedule involves competition rounds, concerts and other events. Held in Odense, Denmark, the birthplace of conductor and violinist, Carl Nielsen, the competition also serves to present Nielsen’s work in timely and relevant ways to a modern audience. This happens in a strong collaboration between Carl Nielsen International Music Competitions, Odense Symphony Orchestra, SMKS (The Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts), Odense Municipality and music schools and institutions from all corners of Denmark.

About Luke Hsu

Originally from Katy, Texas, Luke Hsu has performed recitals and concerts in North America, South America, Asia, the Pacific, and Europe to critical acclaim in venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Jones Hall in Houston, and the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. He has soloed with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. His performances have been recorded and broadcasted on NPR and CBC, including a performance with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra featured on NPR’s Performance Today.

Luke started studying the violin with his mother Yueming Song and with Fredell Lack. He pursued his bachelor’s degree at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University with Cho-Liang Lin and a master’s and Graduate Diploma at New England Conservatory. He is currently playing on a Joseph Gobbetti violin made in 1713, generously loaned by the Colburn Foundation. Luke resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

First prize winner and the winner of the Isang Yun Special Prize of the 12th Isangyun International Violin Competition, Hsu also won the Grand Prize in the 2008 Kingsville International Violin Competition, where he received both the Bach Prize and the Audience Prize and the grand prize of the 2010 Donald Portnoy International Violin Competition. He is also a laureate of the 2013 Concours Musical International de Montreal, receiving the Prix d’interprétation de l’Œuvre Canadienne Obligatoire. Future engagements include a tour with the Tongyeong Festival Orchetra in Korea and Japan.

Hsu is also an avid chamber musician and has collaborated with artists such as Cho-Liang Lin, Gil Shaham, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Colin Carr, Denis Brott, Darrett Adkins, and James Dunham. Festival appearances include: Yellow Barn, Aspen, the Banff Chamber Music and Masterclass Program, and New York String Orchestra Seminar.