CHENG–CHOW PIANO DUO
Guest Artists
ANGELA CHENG and ALVIN CHOW are celebrated for their dynamic performances and exceptional artistry. With impressive careers that have taken them around the world, the duo captivates audiences with their synchronicity and expressive interpretations. Together, Cheng and Chow have received acclaim for their seamless ensemble and nuanced performances.
Hailed by critics for her remarkable technique, tonal beauty and musicianship, Angela Cheng is one of Canada’s most distinguished and respected pianists. She has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Buffalo Philharmonic, and the symphonies of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, St. Louis, Houston, San Diego, Indianapolis, Syracuse, Utah and Colorado. An avid recitalist, Ms. Cheng appears frequently in major venues throughout Canada and the United States; she also collaborates with chamber ensembles such as the Takacs, Colorado and Vogler quartets. In recent seasons, at the invitation of Pinchas Zukerman Ms. Cheng has toured China, Europe, South America and the U.S. with the Zuckerman ChamberPlayers. Her many honors include a Gold Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition, the distinction of being the first Canadian to win the prestigious Montreal International Piano Competition, the Medal of Excellence from the Salzburg Mozarteum for her outstanding interpretations of Mozart, and a Career Development Grant from the Canada Council. In 2010, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta. Ms. Cheng’s debut recording of two Mozart concerti with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra received glowing reviews. Other CDs include: for Koch International, Clara Schumann’s Concerto in A Minor with JoAnn Falletta and the Women’s Philharmonic; for CBC Records, selected works of Clara and Robert Schumann, four Spanish concerti with Hans Graf and the Calgary Philharmonic, the two Shostakovich concerti with Mario Bernardi and the CBC Radio Orchestra, and most recently, an all-Chopin solo disc. Ms. Cheng has studied with Menahem Pressler at Indiana University and Sascha Gorodnitzki at the Juilliard School.
Alvin Chow has been presented as a recitalist in such cities as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Vienna, Montreal, Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles, and as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Pan-Asia Symphony in Hong Kong, Shanghai Philharmonic, and the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg, among others. He has taught and performed at numerous summer festivals, including the Shanghai Piano Festival, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Southeastern Piano Festival, Adamant Music School, Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and the Lake Como Summer Piano School in Italy. He has also been Convention Artist for the state MTNA conferences in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Tennessee. With Angela Cheng, he performed as Conference Artist for the 2019 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and in 2023 they presented the Advanced Piano Master Class at the National Conference of MTNA. Mr. Chow graduated Co-Valedictorian at the University of Maryland, where he was a student of Nelita True. As a student of Sasha Gorodnitzki at the Juilliard School he was awarded the Victor Herbert Prize, and held the Joseph Battista Memorial Scholarship at Indiana University as a student of Menahem Pressler.
Since 1999, they have been members of the artist faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory, where each has been awarded Oberlin’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Currently, Ms. Cheng holds the Robert W. Wheeler Professorship and Mr. Chow serves as Chair of the Piano Department.
