Born in Taipei, Taiwan, violist Hung-Wei Huang joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Principal Viola in 2021. Mr. Huang became the youngest-ever principal viola of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002 and in 2005 he was appointed by Maestro Myung-Whun Chung as principal viola of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2018 he became a member of the New York Philharmonic. He has performed as a soloist with Hong Kong philharmonic Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with the Taiwan Writer’s and Artist’s Association Orchestra. He also previously served as guest principal viola of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Huang has performed chamber music at New York venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall; Boston’s Jordan Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and at the Marlboro, Kneisel Hall, Santa Fe, Great Mountain, Seoul Spring festivals, Taiwan Connection music festival and PyeongChang music festival. He has collaborated with musicians including Joshua Bell, Kyung-Wha Chung, Joshua Bell, Felix Galimir, Gary Hoffman, Nai-Yuan Hu, Dong-Suk Kang, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Paula Robison and Mitsuko Uchida, as well as members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, and Orion string quartets.
Hung-Wei Huang began music lessons at the age of seven, studying with Lin Chia-Zong, and won the Taiwan National Instrumental Competition in 1993. The following year he was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music on the Louisa Knapp Curtis Fellowship, serving as principal viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and studying with Michael Tree, Joseph de Pasquale, and Karen Tuttle. He then received the Walter W. Naumberg Scholarship to attend The Juilliard School, where he studied with Samuel Rhodes, and later attended the Mannes School of Music on a full scholarship, studying with Huang Hsin-Yun and receiving the most distinguished student award.
Mr. Huang served as guest professor of viola and chamber music at the Korea National University of Arts, and his students are members of professional orchestras across South Korea and around the world.