Amelia Chan

violinist | Creator, First Principles Violin

Amelia Chan is currently concertmaster of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK).

She came to this position from her tenure as concertmaster of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (US). An experienced leader, Amelia has served in the concertmaster chair under acclaimed conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Michael Tilson Thomas, Manfred Huss, Sergiu Commissiona, Anton Coppola, Zdeněk Mácal, Jorge Mester, Julius Rudel, and Gerard Schwarz. She has also performed with the New York Philharmonic extensively. As a chamber musician, Amelia has served as first violinist of the Montclaire String Quartet, and has collaborated with guitarist Sharon Isbin, accordionist Richard Galliano, violinist Lara St. John, the Ying Quartet, members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players (NYC), among others. She has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the West Virginia Symphony, the International Virtuosi Orchestra on tour in Central America, the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra (NYC), the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (NYC), and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. She has shared the stage as co-soloist with acclaimed flutist Sir James Galway, and frequently acts as director for the City Chamber Orchestra. She has performed at the Costa Rica Music Festival, the Guatemala Music Festival, Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival in New York and the Pacific Music Festival (Japan).

Amelia has been heard on WQXR, New York; WQED, Pittsburgh; West Virginia Public Broadcasting; BBC Radio Scotland, Scotland; and RTHK Radio 4, Hong Kong.

As an educator, Amelia approaches the teaching of technique through the lens of whole-body biomechanics, and on the principle that techniques of playing an instrument need to be relational to the body, and to how it moves, instead of relying on a static one-size-fits-all method. She believes in a focused and deep education that goes beyond rote training, where the student learns discernment and critical thinking, while sifting through the layers of intellect needed to decipher the depths of the musical art, to get to the natural, joyful simplicity of music-making.

Amelia holds undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees from the Mannes College of Music and Manhattan School of Music (NY). She began her violin studies in the junior school at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Her major teachers included Thomas Wang, Alice Waten, Albert Markov, Shirley Givens, Lisa Kim, Yoko Takebe, Sheryl Staples, Glenn Dicterow, and double-bassist Julius Levine.

For more information on Amelia, please go to her Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/ameliachanviolin/ 

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"Concertmaster Amelia Chan in particular played with passion, acting as the vibrant soul of the ensemble.” South China Morning Post 

“…gutsy solo violin throughout [by] concertmaster Amelia Chan…” theprickle.org

Photo: Mark Lam

Amelia Chan serves as Concertmaster of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, following her tenure as Concertmaster of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Known for her stylistic versatility across symphonic, operatic, and eclectic repertoire, she also served as Concertmaster for New York City’s Dicapo Opera, alongside guest leadership appearances in the greater New York area. As concertmaster, she has led under the batons of distinguished conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Michael Tilson Thomas, Zdeněk Mácal, Sergiu Comissiona, and Anton Coppola. As an orchestral violinist, she has also performed with the New York Philharmonic.

An active chamber musician and soloist, Chan has collaborated with artists including guitarist Sharon Isbin, accordionist Richard Galliano, violinist Lara St. John, the Ying Quartet, and members of the Vienna Philharmonic and Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. She also previously served as violinist of the Montclaire String Quartet. As a soloist, she has performed with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, and the International Virtuosi Orchestra on tour at music festivals in Guatemala and Costa Rica. She has also performed alongside Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway as co-soloist.

Her performances have been broadcast on WQXR (New York), WQED (Pittsburgh), West Virginia Public Broadcasting, BBC Radio Scotland, and RTHK Radio 4, alongside appearances at the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival. Beyond the stage, she is a dedicated educator and the creator of the First Principles Violin System, a philosophy and applied discipline that deconstructs physical mechanics and musicianship down to their elemental roots. To learn more about the First Principles Violin System, please visit firstprinciplesviolin.com.

Born in Hong Kong, Chan began her training at the junior school of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts before earning degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes School of Music in New York. Her primary mentors and teachers include Glenn Dicterow, Sheryl Staples, Lisa Kim, Yoko Takebe, Albert Markov, Shirley Givens, Alice Waten, Thomas Wang, and double-bassist Julius Levine.

“Concertmaster Amelia Chan in particular played with passion, acting as the vibrant soul of the ensemble.” — South China Morning Post
“…Gutsy solo violin throughout [by] concertmaster Amelia Chan…” — theprickle.org