Review: Violinists Jaime Laredo, Timothy Chooi and the Beauty of Live Performance

June 27, 2025, 9:14 AM · Why do we go to watch violinists - or any other artist - perform in a live recital?

This week at the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies we had the chance to watch live performances by two artists who are at completely different points in their careers. On Monday was the Canadian violinist Timothy Chooi, whose long list of accomplishments includes multiple international competition wins and a professorship at the University of Ottawa. Still, at age 31, Chooi is at start of his career. On Thursday was the legendary violinist Jaime Laredo, 84, who has been performing for more than six decades. By now, Laredo also has trained many of the top violinists in the generations following him!

Violinist Jaime Laredo and pianist Anna Polonsky.

A further perspective: Both of these violinists list the Queen Elisabeth Competition in their bios - Jaime Laredo won the competition in 1959 - 60 years later in 2019, Chooi was laureate as well, winning second prize.

Two phenoms. We could go to YouTube or Spotify - curate our listening, find their best recordings. But to be right there in the room with these artists, to see every moment as it happens - it's not just entertaining or edifying. It's a privilege.

Chooi - what a powerhouse! Watching Chooi was thrilling, with his very outgoing, big style, his top-notch technique, and his willingness to go to the edge to keep things exciting. For his recital with pianist Jinhee Park, they performed the Vitali Chaconne, Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a (one of my favorites, and originally written for flute), Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" (he asked how many people in the room had played it - so many hands went up! No pressure!) and the Franck Violin Sonata.

Violinist Timothy Chooi and pianist Jinhee Park.

Laredo also played the Franck Sonata, with pianist Anna Polonsky, as well as Stravinsky's Suite Italienne and Brahms' Sonata No. 2 in A major. Laredo had mastery over fast notes, shifts, double stops. But there wasn't the gloss of complete control - there were little wobbles and crunches that happen when musicians age. And there was another rare quality that comes with age: the stunning artistry of a violinist who has grown his craft over decades.

Especially in the Franck, here was a treasure trove of ideas, gleaned from a lifetime. Laredo's performance was a master class in timing, dynamics, choice of tempos. He knew how to calibrate the intensity of his vibrato. He seamlessly allowed for the pianist's dazzling moments. He created an entire palette of colors. He knew how to build energy and how to let it go, when to have a thick sound or a thin sound. How to pace a long phrase, an entire movement. He used silence as well as he used sound.

On Monday, when Timothy Chooi played the very end of the Franck Sonata, it gave me a thrill. The momentum, the speed, the volume, the chase to the end! I loved it!

On Thursday, when Jaime Laredo played the end of the Franck Sonata, it made me cry. He brought the theme back in with such quiet tenderness, holding back, slowly, slowly building the energy again and turning it to triumph, right up to the last note. I loved it.

All week, I loved hearing from the young artists who performed and played in master classes: Claire Arias-Kim, Maxwell Brown, Anthony Dorsey, Dániel Hodos, Ria Kang, Jayden King, Josh Liu, Natalie Oh, Emrik Revermann, Ellie Sievers, Keila Wakao, Lauren Yoon and Blues Zhang. They were there to learn, to make their mistakes in front of an audience and receive feedback from older artists. But remember these names, they are the new generation!

So why do we listen to live music? It transports and connects us in a very human way.

Go see a live performance - a young artist, an older one, a student. Go see someone who is brave enough to put so much on the line, just for you. Go witness another human's artistry.

And if you are an artist, yes, give your best. And then do not apologize for any of your humanity: the missed note, the memory slip, the over-exuberance, the imperfections that you weren't able to overcome for the performance, your youth, your age. Give us what you've got. Today more than ever, we need you.

Violinist Jaime Laredo, surrounded with the students artists from the 2025 Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I wanted to add this - below is the encore that Laredo played for his recital - "Sicilienne" by Paradis, arranged by Dushkin. This recording is from Laredo's debut recording in 1959 with pianist Vladimir Sokoloff! (Find the sheet music here on IMSLP.)

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