18 year old American violinist, Chad Hoopes, has been appearing with numerous ensembles throughout the world since he won the first prize at the Young Artists Division of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. His exceptional talent and magnificent tone are acclaimed by critics worldwide. He is a violinist possessing vibrant virtuosity “with an inspiring blend of emotional expression and technical ease” (Press Democrat), and his mastery is described as “way beyond his years” (Press Democrat). During the 2011-12 season, he was the third Artist-in-Residence in the history of the Classical Minnesota Public Radio.
As part of MPR’s Artist-In-Residence program, Chad will play concerts throughout the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area and will also participate and lead educational activities at local schools. At each school he will talk about the importance of music and the arts and will be joined by Classical MPR host Steve Staruch. Chad will also post blogs at classicalmpr.org.
His recent debuts include such orchestras as the Vancouver Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Utah Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Houston Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Brussels Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, and Trondheim Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada.
Chad is a frequent guest artist at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland, since his debut in August 2009. He has appeared at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy, performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Festival del Sole in Napa Valley, and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where he has just recently been named the winner of the prestigious audience award. In October 2012 he was signed by the French label NAIVE (Gramophone award label of the year 2012). His first recording will be released in the autumn of 2013.
Beyond the concert hall, Chad’s virtuosity and exuberant personality have been featured on the CBS Early Show, NBC affiliate station WKYC (Cleveland), NPR station WCLV in Ohio, ABC affiliate station KSTP Twin Cities Live, and on PBS’s From the Top: Live at Carnegie Hall. He was the soloist on the Emmy Award-winning June 2007 television commercial for the Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball team produced by SportsTime Ohio Network, which aired on NBC on SportsTime Ohio and on ESPN.
Chad began his violin studies in Minneapolis. He later studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music under David Cerone and Joel Smirnoff and has additionally studied at Ottawa’s NAC Young Artists Program and at the Heifetz Institute. Chad is living in Cleveland where he is in his final year of high school.
Chad plays the 1713 Antonio Stradivari Cooper; Hakkert; ex Ceci violin, courtesy of Jonathan Moulds.
