En-Chi Cheng, Viola Associate

En-Chi Cheng is a Taiwanese violist based in New York City, highly sought-after for his immaculate musicianship, sensitivity to ensemble, and technical prowess. A global performer, notable highlights include a solo appearance with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, playing the Walton Concerto; the 30th Anniversary Celebration Concerto Series of the Taiwan National Concert Hall; chamber music concert tours led by Nobuko Imai, including her 80th birthday celebration in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall with the Japanese Emperor in attendance; and the world premiere of James Ra’s Concerto for Three Violas and Strings with fellow violists Jordan Bak and Ramón Carrero-Martínez, and Dongmin Kim and the New York Classical Players. He has performed in numerous significant venues around the world, including the Barbican Centre, Carnegie Hall, Dresdner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Lotte Concert Hall, and the Philharmonie de Paris.

In addition to his concert activities, Cheng is an Associate Member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2019, as well as performing in New York’s top ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, New York Classical Players, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He also makes frequent appearances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. 

Cheng garnered the Balmoral Prize and the Josef Weinberger Publisher Prize in the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. He was a semifinalist in the 67th ARD International Music Competition and the 4th Tokyo International Viola Competition. He received the Chi-Mei Arts Award from the Chi-Mei Cultural Foundation in 2012 and 2014. He has held the principal viola chair of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, and Moritzburg Academy Chamber Orchestra, amongst others. As a chamber musician, he has performed with renowned artists such as Nobuko Imai, Ilya Kaler, Joseph Lin, Meng-Chieh Liu, and Peter Wiley, and has performed in festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, and Taos School of Music.

Cheng is a graduate of The Juilliard School—where he received the Kovner Fellowship—and Curtis Institute of Music, having studied with Joseph de Pasquale, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Samuel Rhodes. He has also been deeply influenced by the legendary Nobuko Imai, with whom he has worked with for the past decade. In the summer of 2023, he was a faculty member at the Chamber Music Conference in Colgate University.