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Jessica Hung

Dayton, Ohio

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Jessica joined Violinist.com on Apr 11, 2005

At age 23, violinist Jessica Hung has already established herself as a rising young artist in the American orchestral world. Her appointment in 2008 as Concertmaster of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra is a first career milestone for the Cleveland Institute of Music graduate. However, Jessica is no stranger to the leadership duties of first-chair fiddle: she previously held the same position with the Annapolis, Chicago Civic, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Northwestern University Symphony Orchestras, as well as the post of Assistant Concertmaster with the Akron Symphony Orchestra. She is also a substitute violinist for The Cleveland Orchestra and the Baltimore and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras.

In a successful first season in Dayton, Jessica made her solo debut with the DPO under Music Director Neal Gittleman, performing Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Highlights of the 2009-10 season include performances of Bruch’s Concerto No. 1 on the DPO Classical series, Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 3 with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and solo and chamber recitals on the DPO Chamber series.

Solo performances on the DPO's 2010-11 season include Vivaldi's "Winter" Concerto on New Year's Eve and Bach's Concerto for Two Violins with Principal Second Violin Kirstin Greenlaw. Jessica is also slated to perform Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 with the Kalamazoo Philharmonia.

An active teacher, Jessica joined the violin faculty at the University of Dayton in fall 2009, forging a vital link in the community between the Philharmonic and the University. She also mentors high school students in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Centerville Schools Orchestra Program, coaching string sectionals and master classes. Jessica has served on the strings faculty of the Piano Preparatory School in Beavercreek and maintains a private studio of both violin and viola students.

Jessica’s appointments in Dayton came on the heels of intensive training with William Preucil, Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Stephen Rose, Principal Second Violin. In 2007, she received a Bachelor of Music with Academic Honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She began her undergraduate education at Northwestern University, where she studied with Gerardo Ribeiro.

Jessica’s passion for orchestral music-making was evident in her student days, when she attended such prestigious training festivals as the Schleswig-Holstein Orchestral Academy in Germany and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. She spent two summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she performed major symphonic works with the Boston Symphony Orchestra after winning mock auditions. Her orchestral endeavors have taken her to the renowned venues of Carnegie Hall in New York and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Jessica gave her solo concerto debut with the Chicago Youth Concert Orchestra at age twelve. She has since appeared as a soloist with the University of Chicago Chamber and Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestras. For five consecutive seasons, Jessica had a special relationship with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra: she held the unique title of Resident Soloist and appeared annually on subscription programs featuring works from the Romantic violin concerto repertoire.

Jessica’s prizes include the Northwestern University Thaviu String Competition, Union League Civic & Arts Foundation Scholarship Auditions, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Feinberg Youth Auditions. She studied viola with Helen Callus of the University of California at Santa Barbara and has taken first place at the Chicago Viola Society Solo Competition. Jessica performed in master classes for Gil Shaham, Ruggiero Ricci, Zakhar Bron, Mauricio Fuks, Malcolm Lowe, Atar Arad, Bruno Pasquier, Lars Anders Tomter, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Takács and Tokyo Quartets.

Born in Kankakee, Illinois, to Taiwanese parents, Jessica grew up in the Chicago area and resides in Dayton with her two cats, Nikki and Aeneas.

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