NY Phil Concertmaster Huang to Perform in Knoxville With UT Symphony

The New York Philharmonic is, inarguably, one of the finest orchestras in the world. Therefore, it stands to reason that its Concertmaster position would be occupied by one of the finest violinists in the world. And that is truly the case. The person who has been sitting in that coveted seat in that incredible orchestra since 2015 is Frank Huang. And, drum roll, please. Huang will perform in Knoxville on September 16. Yes, Huang will appear with the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, performing Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor, Opus 47. 

And just who staged this coup? That would be Miroslav Hristov, coordinator of strings and professor of violin at UT. “I met Frank when we played together at a chamber music festival,” said Hristov, “and I immediately knew that I wanted him here working with our top students. Of course, we also took the opportunity to have him perform with our orchestra.”

Huang is a formidable violinist, at the top of his game, at the summit of a very tough field. The listing of competitions he has won and orchestras he has performed with would have you scrolling this article for a very long time. To name a few: First Prize Winner of the 2003 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s Violin Competition and the 2000 Hannover International Violin Competition. Orchestras: Houston Symphony (at age of 11), The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Huang, a faculty member at The Juilliard School, will also lead master classes at UT – one for chamber music and another for violin soloists. He will undoubtedly have much wisdom to impart as he was guided by two of the world’s most prominent string pedagogues: Donald Weilerstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the late Robert Mann at Juilliard. Weilerstein’s studio has produced many top-ranking violinists, including Stefan Jackiw, who will perform here next month. Mann’s credentials boast being the founder and 1^st violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet for over 40 years.

In addition to the Sibelius Violin Concerto, the UT Symphony Orchestra concert will include Ottorino Respighi’s “Fountains of Rome” and UT alumna Dosia McKay’ “Watercolors.” James Fellenbaum will conduct.

The concert and master classes are free and open to the public.