Tommy Chiu

A native of Hong Kong based in Boston, Dr. Tommy Chiu is a sought-after educator with more than a decade of international experience in brass pedagogy. His students over the country continue to find success in region and all-state auditions, as well as getting accepted into youth orchestra programs such as the BYSO and NEC Prep, and college music programs such as Boston University, Boston Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan and University of Southern California. Locally, he serves on the faculties of the Dedham School of Music, Performing Arts Center of MetroWest, Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio, the After School Music Program at the Brimmer and May School, and Making Music Matters in the Boston Public Schools. In addition to his regular teaching duties, he has been seen giving classes and coaching sectionals at local institutions ranging from elementary to college level, such as Dedham Public Schools, South Shore Conservatory, Brandeis University and Wellesley College. Given his international background, he is comfortable in guiding students with diverse ethnicities and musical upbringings, and is capable of teaching fluently in three languages—English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

As a soloist, Dr. Chiu shared the stage with the University of British Columbia Chamber Orchestra, the Boston University Wind Ensemble, the Boston University Trombone Choir and the Brookline Community Band, and was named finalist in various concerto competitions, including those of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute and the PRISMA Festival & Academy. Locally, he regularly organizes and gives community performances in the Greater Boston area, with past performances being recorded and live streamed by local televisions such as Access Framingham and Dedham TV. As an orchestral musician, he is Principal Trombone of the Boston Civic Symphony, and regularly appears with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, Lexington Symphony, and the Chorus of Westerly Festival Orchestra, among others. During the summer season, he also served as an artist fellow in the Atlantic Music Festival and attended the International Graduate Music Conference hosted by the University of Calgary as a lecture presenter.

Dr. Chiu holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Brass Performance from Boston University, where he was a recipient of the Brass Department Award, with previous degrees from Rutgers University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His primary teachers include Toby Oft of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic, Jarod Vermette of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Don Lucas and Gabriel Rice.