People behind the Scene / Member of UYO

The Orchestra is indebted to the many years of support from Sponsors, private donors and Friends.

The purpose and the objective of UYO: to bring young musicians who share a love for orchestra music to play together and to train them through weekly rehearsals; ; to help them develop musically through workshops, encourage them to perform with other orchestra and play in ensembles an solo in the public concerts ; to provide a friendly environment for young people to get together for social activities. ; we aim to hold 3 to 4 public concerts in a year to promote classical music.

Yoshiki Tatsumi: Music Director

Yoshiki Tatsumi is the foundation music director of UYO. Originally from Kobe, Japan, Yoshi studied brass performance, especially French horn and spent 10 years with a Tokyo civic wind orchestra as a training conductor. Arriving in New Zealand in 1990, Yoshi was the music director of the Waikato Schools Orchestra and then Waikato Youth Orchestra from 1995 to 2002. He completed conductors’ master classes under Nicholas Braithwaite and Miguel Harth-Bedoya in 1999 and 2000. He was given a Civic Award (Hamilton) in 2003 in recognition for his contributions to youth music. More recently he participated conductors' master class under Prof. Simeon Pironkoff (Professor of Conducting at The University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna) in May 2024.

Tony Hong-Che Wu: Associate Conductor

MFA (Music / Orchestral Conducting) of National Taiwan Normal University, Tony was the conductor of several orchestras in Taipei. Taipei Municipal DaAn Junior High School String Orchestra he conducted won the 1st prize (outstanding grade) for 10 times in Taiwan National Music Competition from 2010 to 2019. It also won the prize of Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival and was invited to perform in the Goldener Saal of Vienna Austria in 2011. Tony is also a professional violinist. He was the concertmaster of Taipei County Symphony Orchestra and Taipei Century Symphony Orchestra. Tony settled in Hamilton from 2019. He is the teacher of string program and orchestra in Hillcrest Normal School. He is also the conductor and violin player of Formosa Chamber Orchestra.

Raphael Wu: Orchestra Leader / Concert Master

Raphael is a passionate and well-rounded musician who has been playing the violin since 2019. He also enjoys playing Piano, Erhu, Pipa, and a wide range of percussion instruments. He studies violin with Tony Wu, and piano with Greg Neil and Marjorie Hsu. Raphael is actively involved in the Waikato Community School of Music, where he works as an assistant and tutor for Music Makers and Violin. He also plays in the school’s Sinfonia and Multicultural Orchestra, which he is currently serving as concertmaster for Sinfonia. Beyond WCSM, Raphael is a member of the United Youth Orchestra (UYO), the Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra (TWSO), and Hillcrest High School’s Orchestra and Concert Band. He has been the section leader for percussion in TWSO once and manages percussion for Hillcrest High School’s Lion Dance Group. In 2023, Raphael was awarded the Fagan Trophy for Music at Hillcrest High School. He has passed Trinity College’s Grade 8 Piano exam, and is now preparing for his ATCL Diploma. Chamber music is another area Raphael is deeply involved in. He has taken part in the NZCT Chamber Music Contest since his high school years and has never stopped participating since then. He has performed in a variety of ensembles including a Piano Trio, Piano Six Hands, and Piano Eight Hands Quartet. His groups have earned a Highly Commended award (2023), the Adjudicator’s Award (2025), and first place in the Duet/Trio category at the Te Awamutu Competition Society. Raphael is currently the concertmaster of UYO and continues to explore and share his love for music through performing, teaching, and collaborating with others.