She is a violinist born in Dalian, China whose sister Qing Hou is also a violinist. She learned to play the violin from an early age and studied at Shanghai’s Middle School of Music, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and on a full scholarship at the Peabody Conservatory where she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degreesin violin performance.
For six years, from 1991 to 1997, she performed as Assistant Principal Second Violin with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C.. She was offered the place of First Violin at the Cleveland Orchestra prior to becoming a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1997.
Regularly performing as a soloist and chamber musician she has played with chamber groups such as the Manchester String Quartet and ensembles put together by members of the CSO and the German Radio Orchestra, which she has toured Europe with. Often participating in music festivals she has taken part in the Marlboro Festival, Northwestern University’s Winter Chamber Music Festival and the Ravinia Festival. As a soloist she has features on NPR and radio stations in Baltimore and Chicago.
In the studio she has recorded albums that include Verse by Patricia Barber, Brahms: Violin Concerto/Sonata No. 3 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Mozart Dream by Xiao-Ming Han and Lullaby by Justin Roberts.
In the field of musical education she has been a faculty member of the American University and the University of Maryland.
Sources:
- https://cso.org/about/performers/chicago-symphony-orchestra/violins/lei-hou/
- https://filammusic.foundation/artist-roster/lei-hou-2/
- https://www.classicalconnect.com/Lei_Hou/230
- http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-08/14/content_21594201.htm
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/997520-Lei-Hou