Rui Du

Rui Du, appointed assistant concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra in 2015, had previously been a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; he won fourth chair in the first violin section in 2012 and soon after was named acting assistant concertmaster. He had previously been concertmaster of the Annapolis Symphony, associate concertmaster of the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra and concertmaster of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. In addition, he has served as guest concertmaster of the Qingdao and Hebei symphony orchestras in China.

Du has won numerous competitions, including grand prize at the 2006 Canetti International Violin Competition. He has performed as soloist and recitalist in locations including France, Turkey, Finland, Singapore and China, in addition to appearing in solos with the previously mentioned orchestras and the Chinese orchestras of Shanghai and Fuzhou. Also an accomplished chamber musician, Du has performed with renowned artists at the Tanglewood, Canetti and Aspen music festivals, among others, and in 2011 was featured in Aspen’s Baroque Evening Concert Series under the direction of Nicholas McGegan.

Born and raised in Hefei, in China’s Anhui Province, Du began violin studies at age 6. He studied initially with Zhou Bin-you at the Shanghai Conservatory, then with Qian Zhou at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, where he won the artistic achievement award. He emigrated to the United States in 2008 and studied with Victor Danchenko and Herbert Greenberg at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, earning a master’s degree and graduate performance diploma.

Rui Du plays on a 1750 Nicola Gagliano violin, generously on loan to him from the Rin Collection.