Celebrated violinist Siqing Lu returns to The Hotchkiss School for the Hotchkiss Philharmonic Orchestra’s season-opening concert on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Katherine M. Elfers Hall, Esther Eastman Music Center.

Under the direction of Artistic Director Fabio Witkowski, the Hotchkiss Philharmonic Orchestra will perform an all-Sibelius program featuring the Karelia Suite, op. 11, Andante Festivo, and the exciting Violin Concerto in D Minor, op. 47, with celebrated violinist Siqing Lu joining the orchestra as soloist.

The concert marks the beginning of another season of symphonic performances by the Hotchkiss Philharmonic Orchestra, bringing together professional musicians and talented Hotchkiss students for a unique musical collaboration.

This concert is free and open to the public; no ticket reservations are necessary. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Siqing Lu, Violin

Violinist Siqing Lu is one of the most distinguished Chinese violinists of our time. Renowned for  his profound artistry and enduring dedication to music education and cultural exchange, he  currently serves as President of the Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao, Artistic Director of the  NCPA May Festival in Beijing, and Lifetime Artistic Ambassador of the Melbourne Symphony  Orchestra.

In 1987, Lu won the Gold Medal at the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa,  becoming the first Asian violinist in the competition’s history to receive this prestigious honor.  Since then, he has graced many of the world’s most iconic concert venues, including the  Musikverein in Vienna, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Hollywood Bowl in Los  Angeles, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Maison symphonique de Montréal and Place des  Arts, the Barbican Centre and the Royal Opera House in London, the Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, the Royal Opera of Versailles, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Hamer Hall in Melbourne,  the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore, the Seoul Arts Center, the Emirates Palace  Auditorium in Abu Dhabi, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing.

Praised by The Strad as “an outstanding talent,” Lu has performed with many of the world’s  leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal  Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, San Francisco Symphony, New Jersey  Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony  Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong  Philharmonic Orchestra, NCPA Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, and the China National  Symphony Orchestra. His artistic journey is further distinguished by collaborations with  legendary conductors and luminaries such as Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Edo de Waart,  Vladimir Ashkenazy, Leonard Slatkin, Lawrence Foster, Jaap van Zweden, Osmo Vänskä, Long Yu,  Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Jian Wang, Cho-Liang Lin, and Academy Award-winning composer Tan  Dun. To date, his performances have captivated audiences in more than 40 countries and  regions across five continents.

Highlights of Lu’s 2025–2026 season feature an extensive international recital tour, a China tour  with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and concert tours across China and Australia with the  Major Trio. Notable highlights also include the Chinese New Year Concert jointly presented by  The Yehudi Menuhin School (UK) and The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao at the Mansion House  in London, as well as the European premiere of The Chinese Four Seasons with the Chinese Hungarian Chamber Orchestra during its European tour.

Deeply committed to music education and public service, Lu founded the Siqing Lu · Futian  International String Festival in Shenzhen in 2016, which has since flourished into a premier  international platform for nurturing young talent and fostering cultural dialogue. Furthermore, he  is regularly invited to adjudicate at major international competitions, including the Yehudi  Menuhin International Violin Competition and the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin  Competition.

An accomplished recording artist, Lu boasts a prolific discography of over twenty albums on  such prestigious labels as Philips, Naxos, Marco Polo, BIS, and NCPA Classics. His recordings of  the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto are widely regarded as definitive interpretations of the work,  with five recorded versions selling several million copies worldwide. In 2018, he released Beauty  of the Violin, featuring concertos by Mendelssohn, Bruch, and Tan Dun with the Melbourne  Symphony Orchestra. Released internationally by ABC Classics, the album received widespread  critical acclaim and soared to No. 1 on the Australian Classical Music Chart.

Born in Qingdao, China, Lu began studying the violin at the age of four. At eight, he became the  youngest student ever admitted to the Affiliated Primary School of the Central Conservatory of  Music in Beijing, studying under Professor Wang Zhenshan. At eleven, he was personally  selected by Lord Yehudi Menuhin to continue his studies at The Yehudi Menuhin School in the  United Kingdom. He later refined his artistry at The Juilliard School in New York under Dorothy  DeLay and Hyo Kang. In addition to the Paganini Gold Medal, Lu holds top prizes from the Beijing  International Youth Violin Competition and the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition.

Lu has received numerous honors in recognition of his artistic triumphs and global contributions to music. These include commendations from the United States House of Representatives, the  California State Senate, and the California State Assembly, as well as the Outstanding Asian  Artistic Achievement Award from the State of New Jersey and the Montblanc Arts Patronage  Award. He was named one of the “100 Young People Influencing China in the 21st Century” by  Chinese Youth magazine. In celebration of his cultural impact, the City of Millbrae, California,  officially proclaimed September 16, 2006, as “Siqing Lu Day.”

Siqing Lu performs on the 1734 “ex-Ricci” Guarneri del Gesù, crafted by the legendary Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù.

Fabio Witkowski, Conductor

Fabio Witkowski is the artistic director and founder of The Hotchkiss Philharmonic Orchestra. He is the holder of the Joanne Sohrweide Music Teaching Chair and is the head of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Hotchkiss. Witkowski has appeared with the São Bernardo Philharmonic, Orchestra di Camera di Firenze, Santo André Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Denver Philharmonic, and Orchestra Toscana Classica, among others.

As a pianist and chamber musician, he maintains an active concert schedule in Europe, Asia, Brazil, and the United States. He has collaborated with the Fine Arts Quartet, Guarneri String Quartet, Emerson String Quartet, and Amerigo Trio. He also performs regularly with his wife, pianist Gisele Witkowski, as the Witkowski Piano Duo.

Witkowski is the co-director of the Hotchkiss Summer Piano Portals and the Hotchkiss Summer Music Festival in Italy. He is a frequent guest performer and professor at music festivals and competitions, including the Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival, the Londrina, Ourinhos, and Belém Music Festivals in Brazil, the Enescu Festival in Romania, the Maria Herrero and Spanish Composers International Piano Competitions in Spain, as well as the Ljubljana Music Festival in Slovenia, and the Villa Musica and Mendelssohn Festivals in Germany.

The Hotchkiss Philharmonic

The Hotchkiss Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 2018 through the generosity of Barbara Walsh Hostetter ’77 and her husband, Amos. The orchestra brings together outstanding professional musicians and talented Hotchkiss music students, giving students the opportunity to work and perform alongside accomplished artists.

Now celebrating over 20 years of musical excellence in Elfers Hall, the Hotchkiss Philharmonic continues to welcome audiences to Katherine M. Elfers Hall for a season of compelling symphonic performances. All concerts are free and open to the public, offering the broader community an opportunity to experience live orchestral music alongside the Hotchkiss community.