Dr Cheng Wai Bio
Steinway artist Dr. Cheng Wai, known as the “Beethoven’s Fifth Generation Successor” is a famous pianist in Hong Kong. She is renowned for her unique musical sense of infection and superb performing skills, praised as the “Piano Poetess”. As a Steinway & Sons Artist, Dr. Cheng’s performances blend the essence of Eastern and Western arts, and through her musical talent, which is both gifted and trained, she has achieved the quintessential convergence of Eastern and Western musical cultures. Dr. Zheng Hui has extensive influence and reputation in the music industry. She is currently the Chairman of the Central Conservatory of Music (HK) Foundation. She also teaches at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University and The University of Hong Kong, and has been an adjudicator for a number of Asian and international music competitions.

Dr. Cheng’s career as a musician has spanned Beijing, Hong Kong and the United States. Cheng started piano lessons at the age of six with Professor Ling Yuan from the Central Conservatory of Music. Graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1987, Dr. Cheng received her Bachelor’s Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1991 with a full scholarship, followed by a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Music, and a Doctor degree of Musical Arts in performance at the State University of New York in 1999. Dr. Cheng’s musical cultivation through extensive exposure to different cultures has formed an international musical path with China as the root, Hong Kong as the bridge, and the United States as the wing, resulting in a career as an international musician spanning China, Hong Kong, and the United States.

Dr. Cheng has performed as a soloist with many renowned orchestras, including the Moscow Orchestra, the Danish Odense Symphony Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also collaborated with many outstanding musicians, including Augustin Dumay, renowned violinists Lü Si-qing and Li Chuan-yun, as well as cellists Chu Yi-bing and Florent Héau. In 2017, Dr. Cheng Wai was the first Hong Kong pianist to be invited by Poly Theatre to tour 15 cities in China under the theme of ” Dessiner la Musique, Cheng Wai Piano Recital China Tour “, with the pioneering use of piano and fine art paintings to her concerts, achieving phenomenal success, with Changsha and Chengdu being state-sponsored performances by the Hong Kong Government in commemoration of the handover of Hong Kong. In July 2017, she participated in the music gala honouring the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Handover to the Motherland, mentoring international movie star Donnie Yen in performing the “Yellow River Piano Concerto” with renowned Chinese pianist Mr. Lang Lang to welcome PRC Chairman Xi Jinping on his Hong Kong visit.

On the occasion of Beethoven’s 250th birthday in 2021, Cheng was invited by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to perform “Beethoven’s Complete Sonata for violin and Piano” with conductor Mr. Leung Kin Fung, which is a spotlight of the classical music world, with the addition of visual effects on stage, combining innovative ideas and academic quality elements in one performance. Renowned concert pianist Dr. Cheng has given acclaimed performances in prestigious venues around the world. She has enjoyed great success performing solo piano recitals and concerto recitals at legendary venues such as Lincoln Center in New York City and Hong Kong City Hall. Dr. Cheng also had the distinguished honor of being the first pianist from Hong Kong to perform at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, cementing her status as an international artist of the highest caliber.

To strengthen the cultural exchange of classical music, Dr. Cheng not only host educational seminars and masterclasses in Hong Kong and Mainland China, but also frequently gives examination lectures for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). She acts as an adjudicator of Hong Kong and international piano competitions, and has been invited to act as an adjudicator of competitions at music festivals held in the United States, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, and Spain since 2015. In 2018, Dr. Cheng was the only Chinese adjudicator in the CARMEL KLAVIER International Piano Competition held in the United States.

As a leading practitioner of Chinese classical music, Dr. Cheng Wai exchanges the essence of music from different countries with her superb playing skills and international vision, and spreads the enchanting charm of music beyond borders through the power of captivating notes.