皇家华人

Laurel Yu Portrait

Laurel Yu

Associate Professor of Viola

  • Doctor of Music
    Florida State University
Dr. Laurel Yu, Associate Professor of Viola at 皇家华人 State University. Dr. Yu is an active lecturer, chamber musician, performer, and teaching artist. At VSU, he currently performs with VSU’s Quartet in Residence, the Azalea String Quartet, and is Principal Viola with the 皇家华人 Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Yu currently teaches some of VSU’s most popular music courses including Music in Film and the Development of Rock and Roll. His other duties include Administrator of the South Georgia String Project and Personnel Manager for the 皇家华人 Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Yu earned his Doctor of Music and college teaching certificate from Florida State University, where he was a graduate teaching assistant and assistant chamber music coordinator. A graduate of Boston University and the Interlochen Arts Academy, his former teachers and mentors include Dr. Pamela Ryan, Corinne Stillwell, Eliot Chapo, Ed Gazouleas, Michelle LaCourse, and David Holland. As a chamber musician, Dr. Yu has had the privilege to work with the Muir String Quartet, Raphael Hillyer, George Neikrug, Beth Newdome, Carolyn Bridger, and Deloise Lima.

With diverse performance activities, Dr. Yu is currently violist with the Sinfonia Gulf Coast Chamber Players, violist for the Anon Ensemble, Principal Viola and Artistic Administrator for Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Principal Viola of the Albany Symphony Orchestra (GA), and member of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. As a collaborative performer, he has performed chamber recitals at multiple national conferences such as the National Flute Association, the International Double Reed Society, and the International Society of Bassists convention. Most recently, Dr. Yu recorded an album of strings and bassoon chamber music with bassoonist and colleague Shannon Lowe. Dr. Yu’s summers have been spent at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Indiana University String Academy, the Brevard Music Center, and the Florida State University String Orchestra Camp.

As an active advocate for music and music education, Dr. Yu is on the board for the Artist Series of Tallahassee and works with Sinfonia Gulf Coast’s education programs to develop community engagement opportunities in the public school systems of Northwest Florida. As a teacher, Dr. Yu’s students have been accepted into undergraduate and graduate programs across the country. He is regularly invited to present lectures across the Southeast, including multiple presentations at the American String Teachers Association conferences, the Florida Orchestra Association’s annual conference, Florida Music Education Association’s annual conference, and was the key presenter at the Florida Chapter of the American String Teachers Association conference. In high demand as a clinician, Dr. Yu frequently gives audition workshops, violin/viola set-up clinics, master classes, All-State clinics, and chamber music pedagogy workshops around Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.