Emily Hsu, 16, began playing the violin at age 5. She is currently a first violinist in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Since 5th grade, Emily has actively participated in violin competitions around the San Francisco Bay Area, winning numerous regional awards in the 2013/15/17/18 United States Open Music Competition, 2014/15 MTAC VOCE, and 2016 DVC/HNU Young Artist String Competition. In November 2016, Emily made her violin solo debut with the award-winning Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, where she served as the Concertmaster of the Sinfonia Orchestra and won the Concerto Competition during the 2015-16 season. In 2017, Emily was selected to be in the first violin section of the California All-State Symphony Orchestra. She was also selected and invited to perform in the Burlingame Music Club in April 2017. Emily made her Carnegie Hall debut in June 2017 for receiving 1st place in the 2017 AFAF Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition. She also won 3rd prize at the 4th Edition ENKOR International Music competition in 2017. In 2018, Emily was selected to perform in the Junior Bach Festival and she also won 3rd prize at the 5th Edition ENKOR International Music competition.
In the past, Emily was fortunate to take violin masterclasses and study with Professor Midori Goto, Motoko Toba, and Mr. Haik Kazazyan. In summer 2018, she attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival and studied under Mr. David Bowlin.
In her spare time, Emily enjoys playing golf, writing fictional stories, and teaching violin, Spanish, and technology.
