HOI LEONG CHEONG

HOI LEONG CHEONG (ZACH) Zach is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Robert McDonald on a full scholarship. He currently attends The Juilliard School of Music as a recipient of The Hong Kong Philharmonic Bernard van Zuiden Scholarship (2023/24) and the Bei Shan Tang Foundation Scholarship (2024/25).

Zach is the winner of the Musicus Young Artists Audition (Hong Kong, 2022). This past two seasons include concerto performances of Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with OJEUM Orchestra (Mexico City), Beethoven Triple Concerto with Greater Bay Area Youth Orchestra, Chopin E minor Concerto thrice with Macao Orchestra, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra (Philadelphia) and OJEUM Orchestra (Mexico City), Mozart Concerto K488 with Musicus Soloists (Hong Kong). He has given solo recitals at the Delaware Valley Young Musician Musicales (2022, 2023), Core Memory Music (2023), S’way Recital Series (Jun & Dec, 2023), Curtis Institute Field Concert Hall (2023). He was also selected to record for RTHK’s Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Project (2022).

His past awards include First Prize and the Special Excellence Prize in the prestigious 19th International Chopin Piano Competition in ASIA (Japan, 2018), and First Prize in the 81st Steinway and Sons International Youth Piano Competition (China, 2017). He was also a winner of the 2017 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Other awards include: Felix Mendelssohn Award in the ICoM Piano Award 2016 International Competition Hamburg Composers (Germany), First Prize in HKGNA Music Competition (Hong Kong). To recognize his outstanding performances, he was awarded the “Most Talented Prize” by the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau on multiple occasions.

Zach made his orchestral debut with the Macao Orchestra at the age of nine, and continued to collaborate with other orchestras, including Hilton Head Symphony, Macao Youth Symphony (Macau, Paris, Marseille), Trondheim Soloists (Norway), Shanghai Conservatory of Music Youth Orchestra and St. Paul’s Co-educational College Alumni Orchestra (Hong Kong). Apart from orchestral appearances, Zach is also a fervent chamber musician. He has appeared in numerous performances with the St. Paul's Co-educational College Piano Quintet. Receiving awards and recognition, they went on to organize a charity concert for the Music Children Foundation, “Quintessentially Chamber” (Sep, 2016).

Besides playing piano, Zach is also frequently involved in composition, conducting, and music production. He was a Year 5 Composition & Electronic Music student at the HKAPA, studying with Ms. Karyee Li. His compositions have won First (2015) and Second Prizes (2014) in the Open Class of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Zach was appointed Assistant Conductor of the St. Paul’s Co-educational College Senior Mixed Voice Choir (2016), and led the school choir and orchestra in several performances. He began his piano studies at the age of four with Ms. Lilik Sutiono. A Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music and Fellowship Diploma holder of the London Trinity College, he has studied at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with Professor Gabriel Kwok for eight years under a scholarship from the Academy.