Timothy Chooi: Honeymoon with Violin

Be it on tour in Hong Kong or Hawaii or at home in Canada: When Timothy Chooi (pronounced “Chewy”) wakes up, the first thing he does is pick up his diary to jot down his thoughts. “Writing things down brings me back to the here and now; it connects my brain with my body,” says the 31-year-old. The young professional violinist has to carefully plan his days to juggle concerts, studio time, his work as a violin professor and personal life. A short cold shower also helps him keep his feet on the ground, not least as his career has been taking him to lofty heights for a few years now.

The internationally acclaimed violinist inspires with his passionate interpretations, flawless technique and emotional depth. Chooi completed his master’s degree at the Juilliard School in New York and since October 2025 plays one of the world’s best and most valuable violins: the 1714 “Dolphin” Stradivarius. The instrument is on loan to him by the Japanese Sasakawa Music Foundation, which regards Chooi as an outstanding talent well placed to continue the tradition of the great masters.

The “Dolphin”, thus named because the shape and shimmering colour of its back is reminiscent of a dolphin, was for many years played by the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz. “He was such a great personality, a pioneer who made the violin accessible worldwide,” says Chooi, who can sometimes hardly believe that he is following in the footsteps of such illustrious violinists. They include Japanese “mega-icon” Akiko Suwanai and violin virtuoso Ray Chen, who reaches millions of people on social media, who have both performed on this historic instrument. “All of these people have achieved so many incredible things in the world of classical music,” says Chooi. “Whether it’s pressure or a responsibility, I want to do what I can with this violin.”

Timothy Chooi started playing the violin as a three-year-old. He and his older brother Nikki, who is also a professional violinist, were the first musicians in their family. Their parents left Indonesia and Malaysia for political reasons, emigrating to Canada to offer their children a better future. They taught their children to “listen to our gut feeling” and to take risks. And so Chooi uses his violin to tell a story that is close to his heart: that music can “bring people together and bridge cultural divides with tenderness”. He himself has experienced this in Canada and later as a new arrival in the USA. Together with his brother, he gives concerts in remote regions where classical music would otherwise not be heard. And with his The Vision Collective, he aims to support immigrants and refugees. “Music can help them feel recognised, valued and celebrated as individuals.”

During our video call, Chooi’s face lights up when he talks about his instruments – currently three violins loaned to him as well as his own. With the Dolphin, he is currently in the “honeymoon phase”. His previous violin “was very wise”, he says: it slowed him down to think carefully about what he was doing. Unlike the Dolphin: “The Dolphin spurs me on. We challenge each other, but aiming in the same direction.” You can experience just how dynamic their interplay is at his concerts. “We give the audience one hundred per cent,” promises Chooi. The Isarphilharmonie is his first stop on his major European spring 2026 tour. As well as the historic Dolphin, he will take his suit, a family photo and his diary on the road with him. Coming to Germany, Chooi is particularly looking forward to enjoying the regional culinary speciality of kaiserschmarrn, a particular favourite of his.