Assoc. Prof. Jerry Wong

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 Finnish National Radio, Nippon Television in Japan, Radio Video Mediterranean in Italy, WCLV in Cleveland and David Dubal’s Reflections from the Keyboard on WQXR and The Piano Matters on WWFM.

 

The American born pianist has made three solo recordings on the MSR Classics label. His first 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” and Fanfare wrote: “Wong’s performance is driven by an understanding and appreciation for the composition that sounds true, raw, and quite clear.” His most recent project titled Of Love and Longing – Piano Music of Franz Liszt was praised in Cherry Grove Music Review for his “great poeticism, skill and sensitivity…seldom may you hear more masterful pianism” and in Fanfare “Introspective, insightful, intuitive, and illuminating…exceptional artistry.”

 

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 performed and taught at the Kent Blossom Music Festival, where he appeared frequently with members of The Cleveland Orchestra. 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 Jake Heggie.

A graduate of Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, 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, universities and festivals in Australia, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan. He has presented lecture recitals in pedagogical forums such as From the Artists Bench of Clavier Companion, 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 International Column Editor. In 2019, Mr. Wong relocated from the United States to Australia, where he is an Associate Professor and Head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.