Equally at home playing Bartok and Broadway, Chicago native Chad Topaz first picked up a viola in 1984, three years after beginning his musical training on violin. Currently a violist (and occasional substitute principal) with the Berkshire Symphony and a regular participant in the Chamber Music Conference East, Chad is a passionate chamber musician whose honors include First Prize in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Harvard University's Horblitt Prize for Chamber Music. Orchestrally, he has performed with the Boston Philharmonic and the St. Louis Philharmonic, in addition to maintaining an avid freelance presence in Boston at the time of his residence. Interested in connections between the musical and visual arts, Chad has enjoyed performing in museums including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Fogg Museum. In Chad's other life, he holds a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Northwestern University and is Professor of Complex Systems at Williams College, adjunct Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Colorado, and co-founder of QSIDE Institute, a social justice research-to-action nonprofit organization. Chad wrote his college application essay on viola jokes.
See my detailed music resume for more.
Performance clips
Schumann Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 44, mvmt. I (violist)
Hindemith Sonata, Op. 25, No. 1, mvmt. I (soloist)
Bartók Ruthenian Kolomejka, from 44 Duets (first violist)
Vivaldi Concerto in B Minor, Op. 3, No. 10 (violist)
Grofé, Cloudburst from Grand Canyon Suite (principal violist, Berkshire Symphony)
Brahms Schicksalslied & Bach Dona nobis pacem (principal violist, Berkshire Symphony with Williams Concert Choir)
Performance history
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2025–2026 6 concerts
May 23, 2026
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Northern Berkshire Chorale
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Elegischer Gesang, Op. 118
- Antonín Dvořák, String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 "American"
May 8, 2026
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Williams Chamber Choir · cond. Anna Lenti
- Caroline Shaw, To the Hands
April 24, 2026
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · Principal viola · cond. Andrew J. Kim & Anna Lenti
- Camille Saint-Saëns, Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, III. (Lisa Ji '27, violin)
- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, III. Finale (Benjamin Wien '28, piano)
- Sergei Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, I. (Christina Wang '28, piano)
- Johannes Brahms, Schicksalslied, op. 54 (with Williams Concert Choir)
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Dona nobis pacem from B Minor Mass (with Williams Concert Choir)
March 6, 2026
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Andrew J. Kim
- Johann Strauss Jr., Overture to Die Fledermaus
- Benjamin Britten, Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
- Richard Wagner, Vorspiel und Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
- Joseph de Bologne, L'Amant Anonyme
November 7, 2025
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Andrew J. Kim
- Caroline Shaw, Entr'acte
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 35 "Haffner"
- Robert Schumann, Symphony No. 4
October 3, 2025
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Andrew J. Kim
- Christopher Theofanidis, Rainbow Body
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5
2024–2025 5 concerts
April 25, 2025
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · Principal viola · cond. Ronald Feldman (guest)
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Egmont Overture
- Claude Debussy, Première Rhapsodie (Locke Meyer '25, clarinet)
- Béla Bartók, Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68
- George Enescu, Concertstück (Jessie Burdette '25, viola)
- Jacob Fanto, Sungrazer (world premiere) (Jacob Fanto '25, composer)
- Samuel Barber, Violin Concerto, op. 14, I. Allegro (Richard O'Donnell '27, violin)
- Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring, Doppio Movimento, Coda
March 7, 2025
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Andrew J. Kim (guest)
- Grace Hale, This Is Not a Dream
- Claude Debussy, Danses sacrée et profane (Helen Liu Gerhold, harp)
- Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 8
November 1, 2024
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Iván del Prado (guest)
- Cristóbal MarYán, Porcelana de Oro
- Édouard Lalo, Symphonie espagnole (Ilmar Gavilán, violin)
- Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 3
September 27, 2024
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Georgia Mills (guest)
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, op. 92
- Missy Mazzoli, Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
- Igor Stravinsky, Berceuse and Finale from Firebird Suite
July 29, 2024
St. John's Episcopal Church, Williamstown
St. John's Noontime Concert Series
- Carl Stamitz, Duet No. 1 in C (Chad Higdon-Topaz & James Bergin, violas)
- Béla Bartók, Selections from 44 Duets (Chad Higdon-Topaz & James Bergin, violas)
- Thomas Morley, Lamento (Chad Higdon-Topaz & James Bergin, violas)
- Giovanni Gastoldi, Musica a due voci: Bicinium No. 9 (Chad Higdon-Topaz & James Bergin, violas)
- Giovanni De Aniquis, Fantasie (Chad Higdon-Topaz & James Bergin, violas)
- Jean-Marie Leclair, Sonata No. 1 in E minor (Chad Higdon-Topaz & James Bergin, violas)
2023–2024 7 concerts
April 19, 2024
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 (Andrius Žlabys, piano)
- Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2
March 8, 2024
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Giacomo Puccini, "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from La Rondine (Molly Arts '24, soprano)
- Edward Elgar, Cello Concerto in E Minor, IV. Allegro (Rachel Broweleit '24, cello)
- Ernest Chausson, Poème, op. 25 (Weiran Jiang '26, violin)
- Charles Gounod, "Avant de quitter ces lieux" from Faust (Edmond Laird-Raylor '24, baritone)
- Maurice Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major, I. Allegramente (Janine Wang '26, piano)
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Triple Concerto (Eugene Drucker, violin; Sebastian Bäverstam, cello; Jonathan Feldman, piano)
January 13, 2024
'62 Center, Williams College
I/O Festival 2024
- Yi-Ting Lu, A Sudden Gust of Wind (2021) (New Music Williams / Transient Canvas)
November 17, 2023
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Williams Concert Choir and Chamber Choir · cond. Anna Lenti
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230 (Melanie Dexter & Sarah Briggs, violins; Chad Topaz, viola; Julian Müller, cello; Evan Runyon, double bass; Timothy Pyper, continuo)
October 27, 2023
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · Principal viola · cond. Ronald Feldman
- John Williams, The Cowboys Overture
- Ferde Grofé, "Cloudburst" from Grand Canyon Suite
- Charles Ives, Three Places in New England
- Kevin Kaska, The Wizard of Menlo Park (Cliff Schorer, narrator)
September 29, 2023
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Fidelio Overture, op. 72
- Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 8 "Le Soir"
- Richard Strauss, Serenade for Winds, op. 7
- Zachary Wadsworth, Sinfonietta (world premiere)
August 7, 2023
St. John's Episcopal Church, Williamstown
St. John's Noontime Concert Series
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, String Quartet in D Major, K. 575 (Emily Kalish & Abigale Reisman, violins; Chad Topaz, viola; Erica Pickhardt, cello)
- Robert Schumann, Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 (Andrew King, piano; Emily Kalish & Abigale Reisman, violins; Chad Topaz, viola; Erica Pickhardt, cello)
2022–2023 5 concerts
April 21, 2023
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Camille Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerto No. 2, mvt. 1 (Anabella Cheong '24, piano)
- Carl Reinecke, Ballade for Flute and Orchestra (Chen Chen Huang '23, flute)
- Gioachino Rossini, "Una Voce Poco Fa" from Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Carolyn Mielke '23, mezzo-soprano)
- Paul Hindemith, "Zwischen Berg und tiefem Tal" from Der Schwanendreher (Ray Wang '25, viola)
- Jacques Offenbach, Orpheus in the Underworld Overture
- Aaron Copland, "Buckaroo Holiday" from Rodeo
- Matt Wisotsky, Concerto for Orchestra and Jazz Combo (world premiere) (Matt Wisotsky '23, composer)
March 10, 2023
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Carl Maria von Weber, Overture to Der Freischütz
- Antonín Dvořák, Cello Concerto (Adrian Daurov, cello)
- Ileana Perez Velazquez, Marejadas (world premiere)
January 13, 2023
'62 Center, Williams College
I/O Festival 2023
- Katherine Balch, Una Corda for prepared piano and ensemble (2016) (I/O Ensemble)
October 28, 2022
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Gioachino Rossini, The Barber of Seville Overture
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Capriccio Espagnol
- Reinaldo Moya, Violin Concerto (Francesca Anderegg, violin)
September 30, 2022
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Benjamin Britten, Matinée Musicale
- Samuel Barber, Dover Beach
- Gustav Mahler, Songs of a Wayfarer (Susannah Woodruff, soloist)
- Maurice Ravel, Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (Paul La Rosa, baritone)
- Georges Bizet, Carmen Suite No. 1
2021–2022 3 concerts
April 29, 2022
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Francis Poulenc, Concerto pour deux pianos in D Minor (Alexandra Medeiros '20 & Gabrielle Wolfe '20, pianos)
- Henry Purcell, Thy hand Belinda / When I am laid in earth (Leah Rosenman '24, mezzo-soprano)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Flute Concerto No. 2, Allegro aperto (Hanbin Koo '22, flute)
- Gaetano Donizetti, Una Furtiva Lagrima (Izaki Metropoulos '22, tenor)
- Igor Stravinsky, "No Word from Tom" from The Rake's Progress (Sara Stebbins '24, soprano)
- Henri Vieuxtemps, Violin Concerto No. 5 (Christopher Chung '22, violin)
- Camille Saint-Saëns, "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Samson et Dalila (Emily Ham '22, mezzo-soprano)
- Béla Bartók, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (Rebecca Christainsen '21, viola)
March 11, 2022
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto in C Major, K. 503 (Sara Davis Buechner, piano)
- Leonard Bernstein, Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
- Leonard Bernstein, Three Dance Variations: "Danzon"
- Kevin Kaska & Louis Stewart, Sondheim Celebration
October 1, 2021
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Giovanni Gabrieli, Canzon septimi toni no. 2 (brass section)
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 36
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor (Victor Rosenbaum, piano)
2019–2020 3 concerts
November 15, 2019
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 21
- Allen Shawn, Cello Concerto No. 2 (world premiere) (Nathaniel Parke, cello)
- Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2
November 9, 2019
Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, Williams College
Joanna Kurkowicz & Friends · Faculty Recital
- Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in B Minor for Four Violins, op. 3, No. 10 (RV 580) (Joanna Kurkowicz et al., violins; chamber orchestra)
October 18, 2019
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Samuel Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Erin Nafziger, soprano)
- Howard Hanson, Symphony No. 2 "Romantic"
- Aaron Copland, Old American Songs (Philip Lima, baritone)
2018–2019 4 concerts
April 26, 2019
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Franz Liszt, Totentanz (Sebastian Black '19, piano)
- Wu Zuqiang, Wang Yanqiao, Liu Dehai, Little Sisters of the Grassland (Angela Chan '19, pipa)
- Giuseppe Verdi, "Caro nome" from Rigoletto (Erin Kennedy '19, soprano)
- Ernest Chausson, Poème, op. 25 (Jeff Pearson '20, violin)
- Sergei Rachmaninoff, Symphonic Dances
March 1, 2019
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3
- Peter Maxwell Davies, An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise
- Max Bruch, Scottish Fantasy (Haldan Martinson, violin)
November 16, 2018
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Shulamit Ran, Vessels of Courage and Hope
- Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet
- Robert Schumann, Symphony No. 3
October 19, 2018
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Joan Tower, Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #6
- Paul Hindemith, Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
- Antonín Dvořák, Cello Concerto (Andres Diaz, cello)
2017–2018 4 concerts
April 20, 2018
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Dmitri Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1, Burlesque (Benjamin Mygatt '20, violin)
- Charles Griffes, Poem for flute and orchestra (Calvin Ludwig '18, flute)
- Robert Schumann, Piano Concerto, Allegro affettuoso (Qiana Yang '19, piano)
- Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5
- Georges Bizet, Danse Bohême from Carmen Suite No. 2 (conducted by Abigail Soloway '18)
March 2, 2018
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Joseph Haydn, Sinfonia Concertante
- Zachary Wadsworth, Piano Concerto (Doris Stevenson, piano)
- Charles Gounod, Faust: Ballet Music
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale"
November 17, 2017
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Arthur Honegger, Pastorale d'été
- Samuel Barber, Violin Concerto (Yevgeny Kutik, violin)
- Walter Piston, Serenata
- George Gershwin, An American in Paris
October 13, 2017
Chapin Hall, Williams College
Berkshire Symphony Orchestra · cond. Ronald Feldman
- Claude Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
- Béla Bartók, Viola Concerto (Hsin-Yun Huang, viola)
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6
2016–2017 1 concert
October 30, 2016
Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College
- Charles Martin Loeffler, Quatre Poèmes (Chad M. Topaz, viola; Christine Dahl, piano; Laura Nichols, mezzo-soprano)
2015–2016 2 concerts
April 3, 2016
Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College
- Gabriel Fauré, Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor (James Garlick, violin; Chad M. Topaz, viola; Tom Rosenberg, cello; Mark Mazullo, piano)
November 15, 2015
Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Viola da Gamba Sonata No. 2 (Chad Topaz, viola; Mark Mazullo, piano)