Jerry Wong - Piano
University of Melbourne
Steinway Artist Jerry Wong has been described by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Martin Bernheimer as "eloquent…sensitivity and a finely-honed sense of style" and the Orange County Register praised him for "clean technique, forthright sound and a straight-forward approach to classical textures". He 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. His performances, recordings and interviews have been broadcast on the Bravo! Kent State Arts Network, Finnish National Radio, HCTV (Ohio), Nippon Television (Japan), Radio Video Mediterranean (Italy), WCLV (Cleveland), WKSU (Ohio), WWFM (New York) and Reflections from the Keyboard with David Dubal on WQXR (New York).
Mr. Wong’s recording of works by Sergei Prokofiev was released on the MSR Classics label and garnered him international praise: "rich-toned… an acute ear for color… 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); "instinctive poeticism….sonorous velvety charm" (BBC Music Magazine); 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). He also collaborated with clarinetist Dennis Nygren on a disc that appeared on the Albany label and, in the fall of 2018, 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 recently described it as a “don’t miss release”.
An avid chamber musician, Wong has performed at the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, Killington Music Festival, Magic Mountain Music Farm, Mimir Chamber Music Festival (Australia) and Pacific Music Festival (Japan). Over the span of more than a decade, he served on the faculty of the Kent Blossom Music Festival, where he appeared frequently with members of The Cleveland Orchestra and the Miami String Quartet. With his wife, soprano Melissa Davis, he
has held a focused interest in American Art Song, performing recitals comprising works of Samuel Barber, William Bolcom, Aaron Copland, Jake Heggie, Charles Ives and Ned Rorem.
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 and Byron Janis. He was Professor of Piano at Kent State University in Ohio from 2003-2019, during which time he developed a flourishing class of international students. His masterclasses have taken him throughout the United States, to such noted institutions as Cleveland Institute of Music, Indiana University, Northwestern University and University of Michigan, as well as conservatories and universities in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan. Frequently sought after as clinician, he has presented lecture recitals to state and national conferences of the Music Teachers National Association, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Music Teachers Association of California, Kansas City Music Teachers Association and the West Virginia University Piano Festival. His publications have frequently appeared in Clavier Companion, where he recently became International Column Editor. In July of 2019, Mr. Wong relocated to Australia where he joined the faculty at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music as an Associate Professor of Piano.