Jonathan Chu

Jonathan Chu rejoined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for the 2014-2015 season as Assistant Principal Viola.  He was previously a member of the SLSO’s second violin section in the 2006-2007 season, and has been a member of the viola sections of both the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra.

Chu has toured throughout Asia and Europe with Boston and Philadelphia and has performed with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. He has frequently played as guest principal with other ensembles including the Saint Paul and Orpheus Chamber Orchestras and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as guest Principal Second Violin, and with the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal as guest Principal Viola. As a chamber musician, Chu has performed with the Musicians from Marlboro and in Caramoor’s “Rising Stars” series. He was a prizewinner with the Fader Piano Quartet at the Coleman Competition in Pasadena, California.

Chu has attended festivals including Marlboro, Yellow Barn, and Taos, and he has recorded with rock band Vampire Weekend. Chu attended Vanderbilt University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music along with a second major in economics, and received his Master of Music at the Juilliard School, where he studied with Robert Mann. Chu is currently studying law in the evening program at Saint Louis University.

He plays on a violin made in 1823 by Nicolas Lupot, a gift from his former teacher Marianne Pashler, and a viola made in 2004 by Hiroshi Iizuka. Chu resides in St. Louis with his wife Beth and their three children Apollo, Benji and Leia.