Willine Thoe was raised in Hong Kong and started her musical career studying piano with her mother at the age of three.  Beginning violin at six and viola at eleven, she attended the highly selective Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts Junior Division and attained the LTCL Performance Diploma from the Trinity College London (UK) in both piano and viola as a teenager.  She received her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance with high distinction from the Eastman School of Music, her Master of Music with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, and her Doctorate of Musical Arts from Boston University.  Her principal teachers were John Graham, James Dunham, and Steve Ansell, and she has performed in master classes of Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian and Karen Tuttle.

She has been the Assistant Viola Principal of the Portland Symphony since 2009. She is also a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and can also be seen performing with various other ensembles in the area, such as the Boston Ballet, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera and Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Willine maintains a private studio where she teaches viola, violin and piano.  Her students are often selected to perform in ABRSM Honors recitals. She resides in the Boston area with her husband and two young sons.

Where did you grow up?  Hong Kong.

Where do you currently live?  Boston, MA.

What instruments do you play?  Viola, piano, and violin.

Educational background:  BM at Eastman; MM at NEC; DMA at BU.

Family, Pets, Kids:  Husband and a 2 year old son.

If you couldn’t be a musician, what would be your dream job?  Travel guide writer.

Any non-musical hobbies?  Photography, knitting, traveling.

Favorite eats in Portland?  Sapporo.

Contact Info for potential students: (e) beezai@yahoo.com