Victoria violinist chosen as new concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
'It’s a dream job,' says Nikki Chooi of lead violin position with prestigious New York opera orchestra
Victoria-born violinist Nikki Chooi was in Australia when he got a call at 3 a.m. telling him he'd been selected for one of the most prestigious violinist jobs in the world.
Chooi, who made his debut as a 12-year-old guest soloist with the Victoria Symphony in 2001, has been chosen as the new concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York.
"It's a dream job," said Chooi, 27, who begins a one-year-contract this fall.
"The orchestra is known to be … one of the leading ensembles in the world, and just to think that I'm about to be a part of it this coming September, it's crazy to think.
"It hasn't settled in yet. I'm still on cloud nine."
The concertmaster will be the leader of the first violin section, and would also perform the violin solos in the works the orchestra performs.
Excited for a challenging role
"My role is pretty much to be a liaison between the conductor and the orchestra," he told host Robyn Burns on All Points West.
"It's a leading position and it's going to be my first at it. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm very, very excited."
Unlike most orchestras, the Met has two concertmasters. The works performed by the orchestra will be divided between Chooi and the current concertmaster, David Chan.
"So if I'm responsible for say, Don Giovanni, the other concertmaster David Chan will be responsible for La bohème, and throughout the week those performances rotate between every other day so we never perform together," he said.
Chooi, born in Victoria in 1989, has performed with orchestras throughout Canada and around the world.
He went on to study at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, and said that's when he watched his first Met performance.
Chooi most recently performed with the group Time for Three, a string trio that performs everything from classical music to pop.
With files from CBC's All Points West
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