Dr. Chun Chim (David) Leung, Director of Strings at Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis, is versatile and active in every aspect of performance as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, concertmaster and orchestral conductor. Leung performs and teaches extensively around the world, including masterclasses and concerts in France, Italy, Spain, Austria, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Canada and the United States. Leung’s recent engagements consists of masterclasses and concerts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Mainland China, Germany, France, Colombia, and throughout the United States. Leung has collaborated with many of today’s best-known artists such as Arvine Arditti, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Paul Badura-Skoda, Malcolm Bilson, Anthony Camden, Andrés Cárdenes, Anthony Dean Griffey, Warren Jones, Mikhail Kopelman, Gregory Kunde, Sir Neville Marriner and Pinchas Zukerman.
Leung has also performed in numerous major international music festivals such as Festival Pablo Casals in France, Carinthian Summer Music Festival in Austria, Aberdeen International Music Festival in Scotland, Hong Kong Arts Festival, La French May, Musicarama and June in Buffalo. Leung made his Carneige Hall debut at the Weill Recital Hall in New York City in 2009. The recital program includes a series of works by contemporary Chinese composers such as Chan Yi, Bright Sheng and Zhou Long, including three world premieres of commission pieces in the presence of the composers. A strong advocate of chamber music and contemporary music, David Leung is a member of the Olean Chamber music society in upstate New York and he is the co-founder of Felix Piano Trio, Phoenix Trio and Helios String Quartet. Leung participates in many contemporary music festivals and ensembles, such asJune in Buffalo, La French May, Musicarama, Out of Context, Musica Nova and Slee Sinfonietta. Leung is currently a member of Saint Mary’s Trio, Faculty Trio at the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, with critically acclaimed pianist Ned Kirk and cellist Derek Clark. Prior to joining the faculty of Minnehaha Academy and MacPhail Center for Music in Minnesota, Dr Leung was Assistant Professor of Violin at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Associate Concertmaster of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra in Florida, and has taught at the Florida State University, University at Buffalo and Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York.
Dr. Leung is the co-founder of the Saint Mary’s Summer String Workshop and UB Summer String Workshop, and visiting faculty of Soochow University and Tunghai University in Taiwan, Wah Yan College in Hong Kong and Michigan Conducting Institute in Holland, Michigan. Leung teaches orchestral conducting and conducts the summer orchestras at the Michigan Conducting Institue and Csehy Summer School of Music. Leung’s recent conducting engagements include guest conducting in Minnesota, New York, Colombia, Africa, Hong Kong, California and the New Music festival in Tiffin, Ohio, where he conducted a choreographed production of Kamran Ince’sWaves of Talya with the composer’s presence. Prior to conducting the Saint Mary’s Chamber Orchestra, David Leung was the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the UB Symphony Orchestra at the State University of New York, Buffalo. In light of his outstanding achievements and accomplishments in performance, Leung is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Investec Music Prize, Guinness Flight Music Prize, St. David Lodge Music Award, the Ruggiero Ricci Violin Performance Merit Award and scholarships such as the Bloomberg Scholarship, Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship and Standard Chartered Community Foundation Scholarship. A native of Hong Kong, David Leung began his violin lessons at the age of six with Tong Lung and made his concerto debut at ten.
Leung continued to study with Lo Chu Tong and Michael Ma at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, was awarded Bachelor of Music Degree in Violin Performance with First-Class Honors. Leung holds a Master Degree in Violin Performance and Literature, a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance and Orchestral Conducting, and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, under the tutelage of Mikhail Kopelman, former leader of the legendary Borodin and Tokyo String Quartets. Leung has recorded for Decca and Oxford University Press. The latest solo album Serenity was released in Spring 2011, featuring German organist Dr. Johannes Mueller-Stosch. Serenity highlights a wide range of music composed for violin and organ, including works by Biber, Rheinberger, Mozart, Schumann, Faure and Tchaikovsky. David Leung plays a beautiful instrument made by Leandro Bisiach, Sr. in Milan in 1922. “[Leung’s] performance critically lauded…always extremely popular with the public.” (Post Journal, New York) “David Leung is the next up-and-coming musician to top the bill.” (LCSD, Hong Kong)