Praised as the "Piano Poet", Cheng Wai () is a pianist and

Steinway Artist Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a f ...

from Hong Kong. She is a winner of the Hong Kong Young Music Performer Award of the International Year of Youth and voted as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons by the

Junior Chamber International Junior Chamber International, commonly referred to as JCI, is a non-profit international non-governmental organization of young people between and years old. It has members in about 124 countries, and regional or national organizations in mo ...

Hong Kong in 2009.

Life and career

Graduating early from the

Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) (Chinese: 香港演藝學院) is a provider of tertiary education in Hong Kong. Located near the north coast of Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, the main campus also functions as a venue for ...

, she obtained a bachelor's degree from the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. ...

. She obtained her master's degree and artist diploma at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and received her doctoral degree from New York State University at Stony Brook. Her principal teachers include Ling Yuan, Gabriel Kwok, John Winther, Seymour Lipkin,

Claude Frank Claude Frank (born Claus Johannes Frank; December 24, 1925 – December 27, 2014) was a German-born American pianist. Biography Of Jewish ancestry, Frank was born in Nuremberg, Germany. His father emigrated to Brussels after the advent of th ...

Gilbert Kalish Gilbert Kalish (born July 2, 1935) is an American pianist. He was born in New York and studied with Leonard Shure, Julius Hereford and Isabelle Vengerova. He was a founding member of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a pioneering new music g ...

. She is now the chairlady of the Central Conservatory of Music (HK) Foundation, and currently teaching at the

Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts institution with a Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of American Baptists, who provided both operatin ...

and

The Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university a ...

, and has also adjudicated in numerous local and international competitions. She is the founder of th
Cheng Wai Piano Institute
and a founding member of the Metropolitan Trio and JW Piano Duo.

Select appearances

In 2008, Cheng performed and recorded The Yellow River Piano Concerto with

Sichuan Symphony Orchestra The Sichuan Symphony Orchestra ( Chinese: 四川交响乐团; pinyin: Sichuan Jiāoxiǎng Yuètuán; abbreviated SSO) was established in 2002. The average age of musicians in SSO is 30, making it the youngest symphony orchestra in mid-western C ...

at the Cheng Du Jiao Zi Concert Hall. Cheng performed and recorded

Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky) The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B minor, Op. 23, was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875.Maes, 75. It was revised in 1879 and in 1888. It was first performed on October 25, 1875, in Boston by Hans von Bülow ...

with

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (Cantonese: 香港管弦樂團), commonly abbreviated as HKPO or HKPhil (Cantonese: 港樂), is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1947 as an amateur orchestra under the name Si ...

at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. In 2015, Cheng Wai was invited to perform concerts in

Schlern International Music Festival The Schlern (; it, Sciliar ; lld, Sciliër; 2,563 m) is a mountain of the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. The peak at the north west end of the mountain (left, in the image at right) was first ascended in July 1880 by Johann Santner. It i ...

as a master pianist. In Nov. 27, 2015, Cheng Wai and Jing Wang, Concertmaster of the

, performed in the James Christie room at the Convention Centre for

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, t ...

selling exhibition ''The Art of Music''. In 2017, Cheng Wai launched her "''Dessiner la Musique''Cheng Wai Piano Recital China Tour" (《詩琴畫意》2017中國巡演) with Beijing Poly Theatre Management Ltd..

Awards

*1997 First Prize, New York Stony Brook Concerto Competition *1995 Third Prize, William Byrd International Young Artist Competition *1995 Second Prize, Bergen Philharmonic Competition for Violin and Piano, New York *1994 First Prize, Hong Kong Young Pianist Competition, pre-competition for 1994 Beijing International Piano Competition. *1993 Third Prize, Kingsville International Young Performances Competition, TX *1992 Champion, Olga Koussevitzky Piano Competition, New York City, NY *1992 Champion, Yale Philharmonia Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition *1990 Champion, Gina Bachauer International (Asian Region) Piano Competition *1987 Third-Plaza, Hong Kong Pre-Bachauer Piano Competition *1986 Champion, Lady Malehose Music Competition *1985 Champion, Hong Kong Young Music Performer Award Competition *1984 Champion, The Pearl River Piano Competition of China *1984 Hong Kong Arts Festival Prize for Western Music Instrument

Discography

DVD, Leung Kin-fung in Concert (August, 2007) Recording Artists: Leung Kin-fung, Violin & Cheng Wai, Piano Recording Label: Music Chamber Ltd. (Hong Kong) DVD, Cheng Wai in Concert (July, 2003) Recording Artists: Cheng Wai, Piano & Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Recording Label: Media Box Productions (Hong Kong) DVD, Four Seasons (December, 2003) Recording Artist: Leung Kin-fung, Violin, Cheng Wai, Piano & Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra Recording Label: Music Chamber Ltd. (Hong Kong) DVD, Pure String Project (April, 2004) Recording Artists: Cheng Wai-Piano, Monica Su-Cello, Ray Wang-Cello & Michael Ma-Violin Recording Label: Music Chamber Ltd. (Hong Kong)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng, Wai Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Chinese classical pianists Chinese women pianists Curtis Institute of Music alumni Hong Kong pianists Yale University alumni Stony Brook University alumni 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century women pianists