Susanne Hou
Encyclopedia
Yi-Jia Susanne Hou is a Canadian violinist.
Born in Shanghai
and raised in Mississauga, Hou grew up in a musical family. At the age of nine, she studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)
. She went on to attend The Juilliard School
where she studied with Dorothy DeLay
, Naoko Tanaka, and Cho-Liang Lin
. At Juilliard she completed BM and MM music degrees and received the Artist Diploma.
She captured 3 gold medals with unanimous decisions at international violin competitions: Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud
(France, 1999), the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition (Italy, 1999) and the Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition (Spain, 1997).
Hou’s new music video ‘The Devil’s Delight’, produced by Rhombus Media premiered on Bravo!TV in 2010; she also stars in a new documentary on the "Canada Council Instrument Bank", Produced by Rotating Planet and Directed by Ari Cohen for Bravo! She performed the violin solo in the Atom Egoyan film "Adoration" which won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Festival de Cannes, featuring music composed by Mychael Danna. Hou was the subject of CBC’s 'The National' Documentary: Shanghai Sensation, revisiting her childhood in Shanghai, with her father, Alec Hou, a renowned violin pedagogue in China.
She also won first place in the Canadian Music Competition for three consecutive years, the Juilliard Dvořák Concerto Competition, the Juilliard-Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra Competition, and the F. Nakamichi Sibelius Violin Competition at the Aspen Music Festival.
Hou has also been awarded the loan of the 1729 “ex-Heath” Guarneri
del Gesu violin by the Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank Competition. She is the first ever violinist to earn First Place twice and did it consecutively (2003 and 2006). In 2003 the instrument was valued at $2.75 million US Dollars. Her bow was made by her father, Alec Hou.
By age 17, Hou performed Paganini
’s Twenty-four Caprices for Solo Violin in Toronto and Aspen. She has also performed all ten of Beethoven
’s Piano and Violin Sonatas in New York as well as the complete collection of Brahms
's Violin and Piano Sonatas and Piano Trios. Hou continues to perform as an international soloist and has recorded the Sibelius
Violin Concerto
and short works by Sarasate
on her CD Fire & Ice with the Slovenia Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra among other recordings.
Sir Yehudi Menuhin
referred to Hou as "absolutely phenomenal… one of the greatest young talents of the future…" and Jean-Jacques Kantorow
, member of jury in the Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud said, “By the final round of the competition, Ms. Hou had the entire jury at her feet.”
Born in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and raised in Mississauga, Hou grew up in a musical family. At the age of nine, she studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)
Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)
The Royal Conservatory of Music, also known as The Royal Conservatory, is one of the largest and most respected music education institutions in the world...
. She went on to attend The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
where she studied with Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay
Dorothy DeLay was an American violin instructor, primarily at the Juilliard School.She was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.-Career and education:...
, Naoko Tanaka, and Cho-Liang Lin
Cho-Liang Lin
Cho-Liang Lin , born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is a Taiwanese American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. "Musical America" named him its "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2000...
. At Juilliard she completed BM and MM music degrees and received the Artist Diploma.
She captured 3 gold medals with unanimous decisions at international violin competitions: Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud
Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition
The Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition is an international classical music competition for pianists and violinists that has operated in France since 1943. It was created by the pianist Marguerite Long and the violinist Jacques Thibaud...
(France, 1999), the Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition (Italy, 1999) and the Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition (Spain, 1997).
Hou’s new music video ‘The Devil’s Delight’, produced by Rhombus Media premiered on Bravo!TV in 2010; she also stars in a new documentary on the "Canada Council Instrument Bank", Produced by Rotating Planet and Directed by Ari Cohen for Bravo! She performed the violin solo in the Atom Egoyan film "Adoration" which won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Festival de Cannes, featuring music composed by Mychael Danna. Hou was the subject of CBC’s 'The National' Documentary: Shanghai Sensation, revisiting her childhood in Shanghai, with her father, Alec Hou, a renowned violin pedagogue in China.
She also won first place in the Canadian Music Competition for three consecutive years, the Juilliard Dvořák Concerto Competition, the Juilliard-Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra Competition, and the F. Nakamichi Sibelius Violin Competition at the Aspen Music Festival.
Hou has also been awarded the loan of the 1729 “ex-Heath” Guarneri
Guarneri
The Guarneri is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati and Stradivari families...
del Gesu violin by the Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank Competition. She is the first ever violinist to earn First Place twice and did it consecutively (2003 and 2006). In 2003 the instrument was valued at $2.75 million US Dollars. Her bow was made by her father, Alec Hou.
By age 17, Hou performed Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
’s Twenty-four Caprices for Solo Violin in Toronto and Aspen. She has also performed all ten of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
’s Piano and Violin Sonatas in New York as well as the complete collection of Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
's Violin and Piano Sonatas and Piano Trios. Hou continues to perform as an international soloist and has recorded the Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Sibelius)
The Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, was written by Jean Sibelius in 1904.-History:Sibelius originally dedicated the concerto to the noted violinist Willy Burmester, who promised to play the concerto in Berlin...
and short works by Sarasate
Pablo de Sarasate
Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués was a Navarrese Spanish violinist and composer of the Romantic period.-Career:Pablo Sarasate was born in Pamplona, Navarre, the son of an artillery bandmaster...
on her CD Fire & Ice with the Slovenia Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra among other recordings.
Sir Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
referred to Hou as "absolutely phenomenal… one of the greatest young talents of the future…" and Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Jean-Jacques Kantorow
Jean-Jacques Kantorow is a French violin virtuoso and conductor.-Biography:Kantorow was born in Cannes, France. From the age of 13 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with René Benedetti, and in 1960 won the first violin prize...
, member of jury in the Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud said, “By the final round of the competition, Ms. Hou had the entire jury at her feet.”
Awards
- Winner, Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank Competition (Canada, 2003, 2006)
- Gold Medal, Concours International Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud (France, 1999)
- Gold Medal, Rodolfo LipizerRodolfo LipizerRodolfo Lipizer , was an Italian violinist, professor of music, and orchestra conductor.Lipizer was born in Gorizia, Italy. The International Violin Competition “Rodolfo Lipizer Prize” is named in his honour....
International Violin Competition (Italy, 1999) - Gold Medal, Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition (Spain, 1997)
- First Prize, Juilliard Dvořák Concerto Competition
- First Prize, Juilliard-Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra Competition
- First Prize, F. Nakamichi Sibelius Violin Competition at the Aspen Music Festival
Discography
- you can never have too many suites (2008): de Falla Suite of Spanish Folk Songs, Shostakovich Four Preludes, Kreisler Liebesfreud, Schön Rosmarin & Syncopation, Yang Wong Luo Bin Suite of Folksongs & Dances, Tang New Face of my Motherland, and Li Ci Li Flower.
- Fantasy (2007): Schubert's Fantasia and Ave Maria, Gounod's Faust and Sarasate's Faust Fantasy
- Chen Yi (2003): Momentum / Shui, Lin, Hou, Marshall, Singapore SO
- Fire & Ice (2000): Sibelius Violin Concerto and shorter works by Sarasate