Pianist, Grace Fong

Simms Performing Arts Center
Albuquerque, NM
Sunday 10/25/2009  3:00 pm

Praised as "positively magical," an artist of "rare eloquence and grace," American pianist Grace Fong performs internationally as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has gained critical acclaim in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, making appearances at major venues around the world, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Phillips Collection, Hollywood Bowl, Great Hall in Leeds, UK, Reinberger Hall at Severance Hall, the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Germany, among others. Radio/television broadcasts have included British Broadcasting Company, WCLV-FM 104.9, KUSC 91.5 FM in Los Angeles, the "Emerging Young Artists" series in New York, and "Performance Today" on National Public Radio. Performances with orchestras have included the Halle Orchestra in the United Kingdom, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, the Olympia Philharmonic Orchestra, The Shreveport Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Southwest Virginia, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, among others.

Described by one critic as "absolutely astounding-and now I've run out of praiseworthy adjectives," Dr. Fong is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in the United Kingdom, 2007 Bosendorfer International Piano Competition, San Antonio International Piano Competition, Viardo International Piano Competition, and the Cleveland International Piano Competition. Most recently, Dr. Fong is the winner of one of America's most prestigious piano awards, the 2009 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship of the American Pianists Association, after a competitive one-year and a half process that began with nominations and culminated in solo, chamber, lieder, and concerto performances in Indianapolis in spring 2009. The first female winner in twelve years, the DeHaan Classical Fellow, Grace Fong receives three years of concerts and recitals both nationally and internationally through the APA's PianoFest program, promotional materials, and a debut CD release. She will also participate in education and community outreach programs called Concerto Curriculum. The value of a two-year Fellowship is $75,000. Before this, Dr. Fong has won the Grand Prize in piano from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and was thereafter named a "Presidential Scholar in the Arts", and was presented a medallion by former President Clinton at the White House. Other prizes include Gold Medalist for the Wideman International Piano Competition, the winner of the Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition, the winner of the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, 1st Prize in the Los Angeles Liszt Competition, 1st Prize in the Edith Knox Performance Competition.

Dr. Fong is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Sergei Babayan who describes Dr. Fong as "not only a true artist and an exciting virtuoso, but a sensitive poet who can speak about the most important of subjects through the craft of her hands." During the course of her undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, Dr. Fong completed a double major and minor; she was awarded the prestigious Renaissance Scholar Prize, and was named "The USC Thornton School of Music Keyboard Department's - Most Outstanding Student - B.M." Former teachers include Sergei Babayan, John Perry, Louise Lepley, Paulina Drake, and Norberto Cappone.

Dr. Fong is currently the Director of Keyboard Studies at Chapman University Conservatory of Music where she was recently awarded the 2008 faculty excellence award at the Conservatory of Music. An enthusiastic supporter of the education of young musicians, Dr. Fong has served as guest artist and teacher at the Innsbrook Summer Festival, the New Hampshire Music Festival, the first Salt Spring Piano Festival, the Montecito Summer Festival 2008, and the Sitka Chamber Music Festival. A chamber music enthusiast, Dr. Fong frequently performs in chamber music settings, and with her piano trio, the Selvaggi Trio. She also enjoys performing outside of the classical realm on keyboard and piano, including recent performances with one of her favorite groups, Pink Martini, whose music has often been described as "vintage music," blending genres of music such as Latin lounge, classical, and jazz. In addition, Dr. Fong has recently collaborated with dance choreographer, Alicia Okouchi-Guy (whose credits include Prince, Paula Abdul, Married With Children, The Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV, the New York Knicks City Dancers), on a project entitled "Grace," involving live, solo piano and a dance trio. Dr. Fong was recently filmed and recorded in London for a music video for the award-winning C Music TV channel by Oscar nominated & multi-award winning film Director Mike Figgis. Dr. Fong can be seen on C Music TV as well as on the Alexander Toradze documentary on WNIT-TV and national PBS in 2010.