Angela Cheng
Angela Cheng | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 9, 1959 Hong Kong |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, educator |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
Angela Cheng (Chinese: 鄭美蓮; born September 9, 1959)[1] is a Hong Kong-born Canadian classical pianist. She has performed internationally as a recitalist and as a guest soloist with orchestras. Cheng is a professor of piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Early life and education[edit]
Cheng was born in Hong Kong in 1959 and immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, as a child.[1][2] She studied piano at Alberta College with Vera Shean and at the University of Alberta with Ernesto Lejano.[1][3] In 1979, Anne Burrows, a local patron of the arts, established a foundation to fundraise for Cheng's further training.[4][5]
With the foundation's support, Cheng studied at the Juilliard School in New York with Sascha Gorodnitzki, earning a bachelor's degree in music (1982).[1][5] She went on to earn a master's degree in music from Indiana University Bloomington (1984), where she studied with Menahem Pressler.[1]
Career[edit]
In 1985, Cheng made her recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in New York City.[1] In 1986, she won third prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition.[6] In 1988, she won first prize at the Montreal International Music Competition (becoming the first Canadian to win the competition).[1][7] She was awarded a Medal of Excellence at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in 1991.[3]
Cheng went on to have an international performance career. She has performed as a guest soloist with every major orchestra in Canada (including Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra[8] and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra).[9] She has also performed with the Women's Philharmonic (San Francisco),[10] Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra,[1] and Boston Symphony Orchestra.[1]
In 1994, she joined Piano Six (also composed of pianists Janina Fialkowska, Marc-André Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, André Laplante, and Jon Kimura Parker), which aimed to bring classical music to small communities across Canada.[3] In 2012, she made her Carnegie Hall debut, performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.[11] That year, she also performed with Pinchas Zukerman at the Salzburg Festival.[11]
Cheng first started teaching piano at the University of Colorado.[1] She joined the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1999.[5] In 2010, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta, in her hometown of Edmonton.
Personal life[edit]
Cheng is married to pianist and fellow Oberlin professor Alvin Chow, with whom she frequently performs.[3][12] They have two daughters.[8][13]
Selected discography[edit]
- Piano Concertos No. 9 and No. 17. Mozart (1991), with CBC Vancouver Orchestra. CBC Records.[1]
- The Women's Philharmonic. Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tailleferre (1992), with Gillian Benet (harp). Koch International Classics.[1]
- Piano Music of Clara & Robert Schumann (1996), CBC Records.[1]
- Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Albéniz, Turina, de Falla (1999), with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. CBC Records.[1]
- The Overcoat: Music of Dmitri Shostakovich (2002), with Jens Lindemann (trumpet). CBC Records.[1][7]
- Préludes Op 28, Polonaises. Chopin (2006). Universal Music Canada.[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Whelan, Janna; Vachon, Jean-Pascal; Orford, Emily-Jane (2015-03-04). "Angela Cheng". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Bernstein, Tamara (2001-03-15). "Bring her back soon - and give her a new piano". National Post. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ a b c d Hisey, Andrew (2005). "Global odyssey: Behind the artistry of Angela Cheng". American Music Teacher. 54 (4): 32–35 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Marck, Paul (2007-02-12). "Life & times". Edmonton Journal. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ a b c Rankin, Bill (2004-12-27). "They couldn't have done it without her". Edmonton Journal. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ "The Fifth Competition, April 1986". The Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ a b Rowat, Robert. "The 25 best Canadian classical pianists". CBC.
- ^ a b Paulson, Joanne (2007-11-14). "In perfect harmony". Star-Phoenix. p. 23. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ "Discoveries at Early Music Vancouver and the VSO". The Vancouver Sun. 2012-11-05. p. 31. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Ulrich, Allan (1992-05-11). "The Women's Philharmonic again proves its importance". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 21. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ a b Sylvestre, Jason (2016-04-14). "Cheng driven to continue working on her craft". Regina Leader Post. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Marymont, Mark (2001-04-20). "Teaching enriches pianist's work". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 67. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
- ^ Bloom, Elizabeth (2015-04-08). "Pianist Angela Cheng plays recital at Kresge Theatre". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Hong Kong emigrants to Canada
- Musicians from Edmonton
- Juilliard School alumni
- Indiana University Bloomington alumni
- Oberlin Conservatory of Music faculty
- 20th-century Canadian pianists
- 21st-century Canadian pianists
- Canadian women pianists
- Canadian musicians of Chinese descent
- 20th-century Canadian women musicians
- 20th-century women pianists