Violin from the start with Chooi Brothers

On a VHS tape in the Chooi residence is footage of the Chooi brothers as children. Nikki Chooi, the older brother, plays violin. Timothy, the younger, isn’t old enough to hold a violin of his own, but he holds chopsticks in his hands imitates the motions.

That early footage is a prelude to the career in music that followed. Nikki served as Concertmaster of New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for the 2016-17 season. Timothy has been called “the miracle violinist” by Montreal critic Claude Gringras. But they also perform as a duo with a pair of violins.

The recital will feature a violin sonata from each brother in the first half, while the second will feature two violins and piano, with Philip Chiu on piano.

“It’s an unusual combination because there aren’t that many repertoire for two violins and piano, but we found a selection of pieces that we think will be a very exciting program, ” said Timothy Chooi.

The music is from across different eras, providing a tasting menu of different violin pieces, explains Timothy.

“We have pieces that are from the classical era, the post-modernist era, the neo-classical era. It’s really a mix of different eras of classical music put into a single program, with the theme being two violins and a piano.”

Going with a variety of styles is something that stays exciting through the program.

“It’s very interesting because it keeps the audiences on the edge of their seats. They’re not too comfortable in one style of music, because we do alternate,” Timothy said.

Not bad for a duo that started playing the violin as a hobby. The first classical artists in their family, Nikki began playing at the age of four, and Timothy started playing the actual violin, and not just chopsticks and pencils, at the age of three, which he described as his parents harnessing his ambition and creative energy with a violin teacher. From the beginning, Nikki has been a big influence on Timothy.

“My brother has always been a very big role model for me, in many senses. From learning from his experiences, learning from each other and learning together at the same time as well.”

The brothers have been touring together for five years. Timothy says that touring together means that they learn more about each other and get closer as family members and performers.

“Every time I play with him it’s such an interesting and powerful experience for us because we feed off of each other’s energy. Brothers who know each other better than most anybody else, other than our parents, so we know what to expect.”

While they have been to the prairies before, the brothers have not been in Yorkton. Timothy says that they’re looking forward to getting a closer look at towns on tour. When he gets to a new place, he likes to take a walk around town to get a feel for the community and take in the sights of a place where he has never been before. He’s looking forward to getting to know the city, the audience and the people in a city.

“I can usually get the vibe of a city or a town from a walk, even if it’s -15 degrees or -50 degrees... It really gets me to read the city and to feel the energy.”

Prairie Debut presents the Chooi Brothers on March 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Anne Portnuff Theatre, part of the Yorkton Arts Council’s Stars for Saskatchewan Series. Tickets are available at yorktonarts.ca.