“Riveting with his incredible technique and mastery of the instrument,” (JG Thirlwell) violinist Tom Chiu '93, noted for his broad contributions to contemporary music and sound art, has premiered over 200 works by influential musicians such as Muhal Richard Abrams, Virko Baley, David Chesky, Fast Forward, David First, Leroy Jenkins, Oliver Lake, Wadada Leo Smith, Michael Schumacher, Henry Threadgill and more. He shared the stage with such musical luminaries as Ornette Coleman, Jessye Norman, and Paul McCartney, among others. In the broader creative context, Chiu has also created new works with artists working in a variety of disciplines, including choreographers Pam Tanowitz and Eun-Me Ahn, film/video artists Phill Niblock and Ken Jacobs, vocalists Jaap Blonk and Thomas Buckner, balloonist Judy Dunaway, visual artist Matthew Barney, and theater troupe Mabou Mines. Chiu’s most recent large-scale work, a collaboration with digital art pioneers The OpenEndedGroup, was commissioned by and premiered at University of Chicago’s Logan Center.
A recipient of the Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant, Chiu has dedicated compositions to Joan La Barbara, Bobby Few, Sylvere Lotringer, Ensemble Metrix, the Downtown Ensemble, Mount Tremper Arts, OEG, and the FLUX Quartet, with performances at BBC, Roulette, Walker Art Center, Bang-On-A-Can Marathon, MOMA PS1, EMPAC, and Anthology Film Archives. His extensive discography includes recordings for the Asphodel, Innova, Koch, Mode, Mutable Music, New Focus, New World, Sombient, Tzadik labels, and his latest solo album, THE LIVE ONE, was recently released on XI Records. As founder of the FLUX Quartet, Chiu has led an influential new-music ensemble which has become “legendary for its furiously committed, untiring performances.” (www.therestisnoise.com) Chiu holds degrees in chemistry and music from Yale and Juilliard, and has appeared as a cultural commentator, contributor, and panelist in a variety of artistic formats.
