boson mo, violin
Award-winning violinist Boson Mo, recognized as one of Canada’s "30 Under 30 Top Classical Musicians" in 2015, won Third Prize at the 2013 Michael Hill International Violin Competition and the "Prix Joseph-Rouleau" at the 2010 Montreal International Violin Competition. He was also a top 25 candidate at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition and received the Sylva Gelber Foundation Award. Boson has twice secured the Canada Council for the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank loan and has competed in major international competitions including the Queen Elisabeth, Indianapolis, and Singapore competitions.
Boson's performances have captivated audiences worldwide. He was featured as a Young Artist in Residence on American Public Media’s "Performance Today," with broadcasts both nationally in the U.S. and internationally on Radio New Zealand and CBC Radio-Canada. His solo appearances include collaborations with the Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand), Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil (Canada), and the Houston Symphony. His festival credits include the Banff Centre for the Arts, Aspen Music Festival and School, Festival de Lanaudière (Québec), Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Grand Teton Music Festival, Festival Emilia-Romagna (Italy), etc.
As an educator, Boson has guided students to prestigious institutions such as The Royal Conservatory of Music, the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music. His former students are now studying with renowned pedagogues including Paul Kantor, Barry Shiffman, David Halen, and Sandy Yamamoto. His students were participants in this year’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA, representing the United States on their tour of South America.
Appointed Concertmaster of The Phoenix Symphony in September 2023, Boson has also held roles including Acting Assistant Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Guest Principal Second at the Minnesota Orchestra, and Guest Concertmaster at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he joined the Houston Symphony’s violin section in September 2019 under Maestro Andrés Orozco-Estrada and subsequently won an international audition to be appointed as Assistant Concertmaster by Maestro Juraj Valčuha in November 2023.
An alum of distinguished programs including Music@Menlo’s International Program, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Perlman Music Program, and the Banff Centre's Masterclasses and Chamber Music Residency, Boson has also participated in the International Holland Music Sessions (Netherlands), Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Morningside Music Bridge, Toronto Summer Music Festival, etc. He is deeply grateful to his mentors Paul Kantor, Keqiang Li, and Li Jin. Boson holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and performs on a violin crafted by the MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Joseph Curtin.