Excited to be on the roster for Astral Artists!

Nikki Chooi chose to play a famous virtuoso piece, Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, which gave him the opportunity to show off his gorgeous violin tone, especially in the middle of the range. Indeed, he milked the gypsy sentiment of the piece for all it was worth — too much so for my taste, though that is partly the fault of the piece – before launching into the technical fireworks with aplomb and total security.

A pair of Victoria brothers will play on multimilliondollar violins for the next three years, after winning a Canada Council contest.

Nikki and Timothy Chooi are among 18 classical musicians selected to receive rare instruments from the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank for a three-year period. Crafted between 1689 and 1929, the violins, cellos, and one bow are valued at between $50,000 and $11 million.