Kristopher Tong, Violin

KRISTOPHER TONG
Violin

Kristopher Tong has been hailed as a performer of "exceptional insight and creative flair" (Boston Globe). As second violinist of the Borromeo String Quartet, he has performed in hundreds of concerts across the United States and around the world to critical acclaim. Recent engagements include appearances at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, including premieres of works by Aaron Jay Kernis and Sebastian Currier.

In addition to his concertizing with the Borromeos, Tong is an active recitalist, chamber musician, and teacher. A member of the violin and chamber music faculties at the New England Conservatory, he also serves as Co-Chair of the String Department. Tong has taught and performed at numerous festivals, including the Taos School of Music, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and at the Heifetz Institute. Tong has performed on such radio programs as NPR’s "Performance Today," WGBH’s "Classical Performance," and was featured on WGBH’s "Classical Connections" in a series entitled "Why Mass.?"

From 2002-2004, Tong was Principal Second Violin with the Verbier Festival Orchestra, with whom he toured throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He has played under the baton of some of the world's premier conductors, including James Levine, Christopher von Dohnanyi, Kurt Masur, Mstislav Rostropovich, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Charles Dutoit. He has also performed with Mizayaki Festival Orchestra in Japan, the New York String Orchestra, and as a guest soloist with the Verbier Chamber Orchestra under Dmitri Sitkovetsky and Yuri Bashmet. Tong was also a member of the original cast of Classical Savion at the Joyce Theater in New York City, a collaborative project with tap dancer Savion Glover.

Kristopher Tong began his violin studies in a public elementary school program in Binghamton, New York. He currently resides in Brighton, Massachusetts with his wife, pianist Miki Sawada, and their dog Shakira. He is a 2:44 marathoner.

B.M., Indiana University in Bloomington. M.M., NEC. Studies with Franco Gulli, Yuval Yaron, and Miriam Fried. Former faculty of Harvard University, where he received a Certificate of Distinction in Teaching from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. Former faculty of NEC's Preparatory School.