“… [Pius Cheung] surmounts the contrapuntal hurdles and offers a stylish, deeply expressive interpretation [of the Goldberg Variations] notable for its clear voicing, eloquent phrasing and wide range of color and dynamics.”
- The New York Times
“Tuneful, neo-Romantic yet technically difficult, [Pius Cheung’s Études] not only showcased Mr. Cheung’s mastery of his instrument but also demonstrated his considerable skill and promise as a composer in his own right – one who writes the kind of music people will want to hear.”
- The Washington Times
“ Absolutely Incredible!”
- PAS Percussive Notes Magazine
Chinese-Canadian marimbist Pius Cheung won First Prize in the 2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. At the Auditions, he was also awarded the Miriam Brody Aronson Award, the Brownville Concert Series Prize (NE), the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation Award for an engagement in Europe, the Embassy Series Prize (DC), the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center Prize, and the Usedom (Germany) Music Festival Prize. Highlights of his performances include concerts at the 8th International Marimba Festival in Mexico, Percussive Arts Society International Convention 2009, Usedomer Music Festival in Germany, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Terrace Theater at Kennedy Center and Zankel Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
As one of today’s most promising marimbists and composers, Mr. Cheung has captivated audiences with performances of compositions by contemporary composers, his own compositions, and arrangements of the classics, most notably Bach’s Goldberg Variations. His debut album of the Goldberg Variations is the first and only recording of the work on marimba. The album has received critical acclaim and has aired on CBC Radio in Canada and National Public Radio in the U.S.
Mr. Cheung made his U.S. concerto debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center in 2003, as winner of the orchestra’s concerto competition. In prior seasons, he has appeared as soloist with the British Columbia Chamber Orchestra and the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and given performances at Jordan Hall in Boston, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Edmonton Recital Society, Kennedy Center, Stratsford Summer Music Festival, Bucks County Performing Arts Center, the V Festival Internacional de Marimbistas, and Zeltsman Marimba Festival. Additionally, Mr. Cheung has presented concerts and masterclasses in some of the world’s well known music institutes, including Amsterdam Conservatory, Paris Conservatory, Lyon Conservatory, Curtis Institute of Music, Boston Conservatory, Universities of Michigan, South Florida, Central Florida, Illinois and Boston.
As a composer, Mr. Cheung won First Prize in the Classical Marimba League’s 2007 Composition Competition for his Three Etudes, part of a cycle of Twenty-Four Etudes which he is currently working on. He has written numerous other works for the marimba including a Marimba Concerto with String Orchestra and Timpani, a set of Five Musical Moments, Sonata No. 1 “Vitanata”, Symphonic Poem for solo marimba, two Ballades and a collection of smaller pieces including Etudes, Nocturnes and Preludes. His compositions have been recorded by renowned marimbists such as Nancy Zeltsman and Katarzyna Mycka, and chosen as repertoire for international marimba competitions such as the Universal Marimba Competition in Belgium 2008 and Southern California Marimba Competition 2009.
Mr. Cheung is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vic Firth endorser.
