Jerry Wong: Masterclass

5pm, Saturday 25th July

Nightingale Performing Arts Australia is proud to present Steinway Artist and internationally acclaimed pianist and pedagogue Professor Jerry Wong (Head of Keyboard, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music) for this piano masterclass.

ARTIST BIO:

American born pianist Jerry Wong has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in prestigious settings on five different continents including the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, National Concert Hall of Taipei, National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Melbourne Recital Centre, Opera City Hall in Tokyo, Severance Hall in Cleveland and Weill Recital Hall in New York City. Praised early in his career by the Orange County Register for "clean technique, forthright sound and a straight-forward approach to classical textures", he has also been described by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Martin Bernheimer as "eloquent sensitivity and a finely-honed sense of style".

A Steinway Artist, he frequently records for the MSR Classics label. His disc of works by Sergei Prokofiev garnered international praise. Audio Society wrote that he "brings introspection and gentle nostalgia to this music better than anyone I have heard to assay the Eighth Sonata since the late Emil Gilels". In 2018, he commemorated the 100-year passing of Claude Debussy with the release of a solo recording titled Of Motion and Dance – Piano Music of Claude Debussy. American Record Guide described it as a “don’t miss release”. Another recent project included Of Love and Longing – Piano Music of Franz Liszt which was praised by Fanfare for its “introspective, insightful, intuitive, and exceptional artistry.”

An avid chamber musician, his festival appearances have included the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, Killington Music Festival, Magic Mountain Music Farm, Mimir Chamber Music Festival and Pacific Music Festival. Over the span of more than a decade, he performed and taught at the Kent Blossom Music Festival, where he appeared frequently with members of The Cleveland Orchestra and the Miami String Quartet. He has recorded with clarinettist Dennis Nygren on the Albany label, flutist Derek Jones on the MOVE label and with his wife soprano Melissa Davis in two discs of song cycles by American composer Jake Heggie.

Alongside his profile on the concert stage, Wong is sought after as a recognised pedagogue. He received degrees from Indiana University (BM), Peabody Conservatory (MM) and Manhattan School of Music (DMA), where his major teachers were Menahem Pressler, Ann Schein and Byron Janis. From 2003 to 2019, he was Professor of Piano at Kent State University in Ohio, during which time he developed a flourishing class of international students. He has given masterclasses at the Australian National Academy of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, Indiana University, Northwestern University, Seoul National University, Shanghai Conservatory, Sichuan Conservatory, St Petersburg Conservatory, Tainan National University of the Arts, Taipei National University of the Arts, University of Michigan and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. He has presented lecture recitals at the Music Teachers National Association, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and the World Piano Teachers Association. His publications have frequently appeared in The Piano Magazine, where he is also International Column Editor.

In 2019, Mr. Wong relocated from the United States to Australia, where he is Professor of Piano and Head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Additionally, he currently serves in the role of Associate Dean (International).