Kristian Chong
Kristian Chong is an Australian concert pianist, and has performed extensively throughout Australia, the UK, and in China, France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan, USA, and Africa.[1]
Early life
His early studies were at the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide, Australia, where he was accepted at the age of 9 on piano with Noreen Stokes, and violin with Beryl Kimber. He went on to study at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music under Stephen McIntyre AM, and then the Royal Academy of Music in London with Piers Lane AO and Christopher Elton.
His competition successes included the Symphony Australia Young Performers Award (keyboard) and the Australian National Piano Award.
Professional Activities
Chong has performed extensively throughout Australia and the UK, and in China, France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, USA, and Zimbabwe.
His performances and recordings are frequently broadcast on ABC Classic FM and on the MBS network in Australia.
As concerto soloist he has appeared with the Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, the Australian Doctors Orchestra and orchestras in the UK, New Zealand and China under conductors such as Werner Andreas Albert, Andrey Boreyko, Nicholas Braithwaite, Jessica Cottis, Roy Goodman, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Nicholas Milton, Tuomas Ollila, Marcus Stenz, Arvo Volmer and Marco Zuccarini.
Concerto highlights have included Rachmaninoff 3rd with the Sydney Symphony, the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini in Beijing, and Britten with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Recent concerto highlights include Beethoven's 2nd concerto with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and Shostakovich 2nd, Rachmaninoff 3rd, Chopin 2nd, Beethoven's Emperor, Beethoven's Triple in Melbourne, and Ravel's Left Hand concerti in Melbourne and New Zealand.
A highly sought after chamber musician, recent collaborations include Australian and international tours with the Australian String Quartet, performances with violinists Natsuko Yoshimoto, Sophie Rowell, Elizabeth Layton, Ilya Konovalov, (concertmaster Israel Philharmonic), Flinders Quartet, and cellists Li-Wei Qin and Guy Johnston.
Recent festival performances include the Australian Festival of Chamber Music,[2] a return appearance at the Huntington Estate Music Festival for Musica Viva Australia, the Adelaide Festival, Adelaide International Cello Festival, the Xing Hai Festival in Guangzhou, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, where Kristian performed the complete Rachmaninoff Preludes, and the complete Beethoven Piano and Violin Sonatas with Yoshimoto and Rowell at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Kristian in 2011 debuted for ABC-Classics in a disc with baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes called Serious Songs. He has also recorded the complete Rachmaninoff Preludes for piano for ABC Classic FM in May 2011.
He currently is based in Melbourne, and teaches piano and chamber music at the University of Melbourne.
He is also a 'Friend of Australia' for Tourism Australia[3] and a Musica Viva Australia artist.[4]
