Derek Choi

Violinist Derek Choi enjoys an active performing career across the United States. His engagements include appearances with distinguished orchestras such as The Cleveland Orchestra and Oregon Symphony, among others. Previously, he was a fellow of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, D.C. With the NSO, he served as concertmaster for the 30th anniversary of the Summer Music Institute Concert Series, where his solos on Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite were featured on live broadcast from the Kennedy Center.

Since making his subscription debut with the Oregon Mozart Players at the age of 16, Derek has been featured with numerous orchestras as soloist. With the Portland Youth Philharmonic, he appeared as soloist in the orchestra's 100th anniversary season. A frequent guest at major music festivals, he has been invited to perform at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival, and Chamber Music Northwest, among others.

At the United States Capitol, Derek has advocated for music education to Senator Ron Wyden and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. Since June 2022, he has served as Executive Director of Project Prelude, where he has sustained the organization as a nationally-recognized leader in arts equity—through the development and implementation of innovative training programs and community initiatives—while leading its national expansion.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Derek began playing the violin at the age of eight and currently studies with Hae-Jin Kim. He has had additional studies with Charles Castleman and Ko Sugiyama, and has been mentored by Nurit Bar-Josef, Ying Fu, and Jennifer Mondie of the National Symphony Orchestra. An incoming freshman at Vanderbilt University, he will be pursuing a Bachelor of Music as a merit scholar at the Blair School of Music, studying with Cornelia Heard.

(Spring 2024)