Jerry Wong, piano


Described by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Martin Bernheimer as "eloquent and elegant... (with) passion and introspectio...sensitivity and a finely honed sense of style" and praised by the Orange County Register for "clean technique, forthright sound and a straight forward approach to classical textures", pianist Jerry Wong has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia in such prestigious settings as the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, National Concert Hall of Taipei, National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Opera City Hall in Tokyo, PianoForte in Chicago, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Shriver Hall in Baltimore and Weill Recital Hall in New York City. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1996 Prix-Ville de Fontainebleau in France, which was personally presented to him by Philippe Entremont, the 1999 IBLA Grand Prize, and the 2009 Akron Area Arts Alliance "Outstanding Artist in Music". The latter led to features in the Akron Beacon Journal and Akron Life and Leisure Magazine.

In 2010, Mr. Wong released his debut CD on the MSR Classics label. International praise for this all-Prokofiev disc included: "rich-toned... an acute ear for colo... exciting playing" (Fanfare); "brings [introspection and gentle nostalgia to this music] better than anyone I have heard to assay the Eighth (Sonata) since the late Emil Gilels" (Audio Society); "no trouble at all with the technical demands…a thorough and thoughtful musicality that might not necessarily be associated with such youthful music" (allmusic.com); and "his approach is perfect for the 20 short and quite varied Visions Fugitives, easily the best complete set I've heard" (American Record Guide).

A graduate of Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, where he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree, Mr. Wong's major teachers have included Menahem Pressler, Ann Schein, Sara Davis Buechner and Byron Janis. Mr. Wong presently holds the position of Associate Professor of Piano at Kent State University in Ohio. During the summers, he is co-director of the Piano Institute at Kent State and a member of the Kent/Blossom Music faculty, where he has been featured in performance with violinist Soovin Kim, the Miami String Quartet and members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Frequently sought after as adjudicator, clinician and lecturer, his masterclasses have brought him to such noted institutions as Cleveland Institute of Music, Indiana University, Northwestern University, St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia), Tainan National University of Arts (Taiwan), University of Michigan and Yong Sieh Tow Conservatory (Singapore). In addition, he has presented lecture recitals about the music of Seymour Bernstein to the Music Teachers National Association state conferences of Indiana, Ohio and New York, as well as the Music Teachers Association of California. His article titled: How Do You Use DVDs and YouTube Videos of Historic Pianists in Your Teaching? was recently published in Clavier Companion.

Mr. Wong is a Steinway Artist.

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