Boston Private Trombone Lessons

A native of Hong Kong based in Boston, Tommy Chiu has made appearances in major cities across Asia and North America both as a performer and an educator. His performance highlights include solo appearances with the University of British Columbia Chamber Orchestra and recently with the Boston Trombone Octet. As a trombonist, he was named finalist and performed as the only brass instrumentalist in the finals of various concerto competitions, including that of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute and the PRISMA Festival & Academy. He then served as an artist fellow in the Atlantic Music Festival, giving varied performances in orchestral, chamber and solo settings in the summer of 2022. To fuse his dedication to performance with his interest in academic research, Tommy also presented a full lecture recital in the recent conference on cultural assimilation in music hosted by the University of Calgary. Furthermore, an equally devoted performer on the euphonium, he has been invited to play with the New England Brass Band and has been performing with the Boston University Wind Ensemble on an assistantship since 2021.

Outside of performing, Tommy teaches brass extensively both online and in person with 10 years of international teaching experience. In addition to teaching at Brimmer and May School, he also serves as the brass faculty of the Performing Arts Center of MetroWest and the Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio, and maintains a private studio of horn, trumpet, trombone and euphonium students of all ages, located throughout the United States and Hong Kong across six different time zones. His students continue to find success in the district/all-state auditions in their local music educators association festivals such as NYSSMA and MMEA, auditions for local community ensembles, and the practical examinations offered by the ABRSM as well. Given his international background, Tommy is comfortable in guiding students with diverse ethnicities and musical upbringings, and is capable of teaching fluently in three languages—English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Tommy holds degrees from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Rutgers University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in brass performance at Boston University, where he received the Brass Department Award. His teachers include Jarod Vermette of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic, and Toby Oft,

Principal Trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

As a strong believer in the life-changing power of music, my teaching is driven by my purpose to serve and inspire students of all backgrounds to realize their full potential and leave a positive impact on the lives of others. My approach in teaching is firmly grounded in developing a healthy and self-driven practice culture in my students. As a practicing teacher, I strive tirelessly to lead by example. I ensure my students feel empowered after each lesson and hold them accountable to commit to their own daily grind. Especially during times of difficulty, I love to encourage my students to follow their curiosity and guard their motivation as we share the journey of music making together.