CCM welcomes new viola faculty member Brian Hong

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Brian Hong as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Viola. His faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2025.

In addition to his new faculty position at CCM, Hong also serves on the faculty of Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival during the summers. Prior to his CCM appointment, Hong served on the viola and chamber music faculties at Bard College Conservatory of Music. He has taught private lessons, public master classes and chamber coachings at George Mason University’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, Missouri State University and the Juilliard School. He has also taught master classes for the Joven Camerata de El Salvador as well as the Edward Said National Conservatory of Palestine. Hong’s mission as a teacher is to provide thoughtful and well-rounded instruction to students that maximizes their musical inspiration while illuminating the technical steps needed to achieve repeatable results. He believes in bringing the unique qualities of each student to life, and in the right of every student to have a high-quality musical education regardless of socio-economic status. Hong’s students have gained admission to the nation’s top conservatories, orchestras and summer music festivals.

Hong is a graduate of Juilliard’s Artist Diploma program. As a Fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, he performed and taught in a variety of venues in New York City and abroad, as well as maintaining a two-year teaching-artist partnership with Celia Cruz High School for Music in the Bronx. Hong also holds a master’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he was awarded a prestigious Kovner Fellowship. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a member of three different honors ensembles and studied both classic and contemporary quartet repertoire with mentors including Laurence Lesser, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein and Lucy Chapman.

In addition to his performance and pedagogy, Hong has built a career as a successful music administrator. He is the program manager for the Vital Sounds Initiative of Project: Music Heals Us, a nonprofit dedicated to providing musical education, access and healing to marginalized populations with limited ability to access it themselves. He is also a co-artistic director of NEXUS Chamber Music Chicago in Illinois, an artist-driven collective of musicians who break down barriers in classical music by creating immersive and accessible performances that connect artists and audiences. In his spare time, Hong can be found brewing espresso or single origin pour-overs at his home coffee bar.

"Brian Hong's extensive performance experience, chamber music career and innovative work in the non-profit and community arts sectors will bring great value to CCM's esteemed String area," said Jutras. "I am grateful to our search committee chair Rachel Calin and committee members Aik Khai Pung and Catharine Lees for their efforts with this successful search."

Featured image at top: A portrait of Brian Hong with his viola. Photo/Grittani Creative LLC