Charles Hsu has packed a lot into his 33 years. Born in the New Jersey, he grew up in Taiwan, moved back to the United States to attend MIT, and, after a stint as a management consultant, pursued his medical studies at Yale and Harvard.

Today, he is Dr. Hsu, a junior attending medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.  

But through all of these pursuits, there is his love of chamber music.

It began in the eighth grade, when he and some friends at his international school in Taiwan formed a string quartet. They played together through high school and remain good friends today. He continued to play viola at MIT, studying with Marcus Thompson. After college, through medical school and his residency, his passion for chamber music never waned.

“I don’t think I would have been able to go through medical training with the same kind of resilience and inspiration if I didn’t have music in my life,” he said. “Playing chamber music has kept me sane.”

Oh, he is also a self-taught luthier. He grew fascinated with making instruments in college, starting with a viola—he calls it a “viola-shaped object.” Then during the pandemic he returned to this new passion, using newly available research and instruction on the web.  By now he has made a handful of violins and violas, with each one getting better through trial and error.

We talked with Charles recently about his life and his love of chamber music. His comments have been edited for clarity and conciseness.

What attracts you to chamber music?

Chamber music is my main musical outlet, for a few reasons. I enjoy the accountability, and I enjoy the individuality of voice, which you don’t really get in an orchestra. I also like the intimate nature of a chamber group. I’m an introvert, so I really enjoy the deeper, closer interpersonal interactions you get in a quartet.

Having to adapt your expression in timing and pace to somebody else’s expression forces a conversation. It’s a dialogue that’s not one-sided. Otherwise, it doesn’t work.

You have a lot of demands on your time. How do you stay connected with music?

Music is quite a big part of my life, and specifically classical music. I was very active in string quartets and chamber groups throughout college. I would always start by finding, usually, a violinist and play duets.

We recently just put together a string quartet. We play every other week on average. We’re putting together this group to perform, so there is a goal to it and there is some accountability. Even though we are all amateurs, everybody’s in it to put on a good performance.

When you have a group that really raises the bar, I particularly enjoy that.

Who are your favorite composers?

I enjoy a lot of romantic-era composers. As a violist, I love Dvořák. In recent years, I’ve come to love Brahms. In my group, we’re playing a Mendelssohn quartet.

Any favorite chamber music moments?

I played in a couple concerts at Carnegie Hall with an organization called After Arts. I was in a group with Nick King, the founder, and we played a Dvorak piano quintet. To be able to play with such high-level musicians who are not professionals, that was a real moment.

What led to your interest in making instruments?

Fifteen years ago, I was possessed by this idea that I could make my own viola, and have it sound the way I wanted. It turns out it’s pretty hard. I relied on books and a lot of trial and error. After three years, I made my first viola-shaped object. It sounds and functions as a viola, but I don’t call it a viola. It wasn’t until COVID, during my residency, that I had a revival in my interest. I’m now on my fourth instrument. Today, there is so much more information on the internet. There is a rich body of research focused on the violin. Being able to understand what makes a good instrument sound good has been a gift.