Nikki Chooi (born January 31, 1989) is an American-Canadianclassical violinist. He is a prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition[1] and Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition and 1st prize winner of the 2013 Michael Hill International Violin Competition,[2] Montreal Symphony Manulife Competition, and Klein International Strings Competition. Nikki is a soloist, educator, and current Concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He previously served as Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York.
In 2000, Chooi made his orchestral debut with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and was subsequently invited to perform at the 2001 Victoria Symphony "Splash" held at the Victoria Inner Harbour for an audience of over 50,000 people.[3] That same year, aged twelve, he performed Haydn's Violin Concerto in C Major with the Sinfonia Toronto Orchestra at the Glenn Gould Studio, this was recorded and broadcast nationally by CBC Radio.
In 2003, he began studies with Bill van der Sloot at the Mount Royal Conservatory in Calgary, Canada. His summer studies included attending the Morningside Music Bridge and the Young Artist Programme at the National Arts Centre. While he was still in high school, Chooi won First Prize at the 2004 Canadian National Music Festival, and a few months later he won the 2004 Montreal Standard Life Competition where he debuted with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jacque Lacombe. In 2007, he was the awarded a "Special Prize" at International Tchaikovsky Competition held in Moscow, Russia.