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Dr. Grace Fong
Associate Professor
- Office:
- Bertea Hall 121
- Phone:
- (714) 997-6895
- Email:
- fong@chapman.edu
- Website:
- http://www.pianistgracefong.com
- Education
- University of Southern California, Bachelor of Science
Cleveland Institute of Music, Master of Arts
Cleveland Institute of Music, Doctor of Music in Performance
- Biography
Praised as "positively magical," an artist of "rare eloquence and grace," American pianist Grace Fong enjoys a career as an international concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. She has gained critical acclaim in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, making appearances at major venues around the world, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio, Phillips Collection, Disney Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Great Hall in Leeds, UK, the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Germany, among others.
Radio/television broadcasts have included British Broadcasting Company, WCLV-FM 104.9, KUSC 91.5 FM in Los Angeles, the "Emerging Young Artists" series in New York, and "Performance Today" on National Public Radio. Performances with orchestras have included the Halle Orchestra in the United Kingdom, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, the Olympia Philharmonic Orchestra, The Shreveport Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Southwest Virginia, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, among others.
Described by one critic as "absolutely astounding-and now I've run out of praiseworthy adjectives," Dr. Fong is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in the United Kingdom, Bosendorfer International Piano Competition, San Antonio International Piano Competition, Viardo International Piano Competition, and the Cleveland International Piano Competition. Dr. Fong is also the first female winner in twelve years of one of America's most prestigious piano awards, the Christel De Haan Classical Fellowship of the American Pianists Association. Previously, Dr. Fong has won the Grand Prize in piano from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and was thereafter named a "Presidential Scholar in the Arts", and was presented a medallion by former President Clinton at the White House. Other prizes include Gold Medalist for the Wideman International Piano Competition, the winner of the Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition, the winner of the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, 1st Prize in the Los Angeles Liszt Competition, 1st Prize in the Edith Knox Performance Competition.
Dr. Fong is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Sergei Babayan who describes Dr. Fong as "not only a true artist and an exciting virtuoso, but a sensitive poet who can speak about the most important of subjects through the craft of her hands." During the course of her undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, Dr. Fong completed a double major and minor; she was awarded the prestigious Renaissance Scholar Prize, and was named "The USC Thornton School of Music Keyboard Department's - Most Outstanding Student - B.M." Former teachers include Sergei Babayan, John Perry, Louise Lepley, Paulina Drake, and Norberto Cappone.
Dr. Fong is currently the Director of Keyboard Studies at Chapman University Conservatory of Music where she was awarded the Valerie Scudder faculty excellence award at the Conservatory of Music. She is also faculty at Claremont Graduate University, teaching and advising Doctoral Candidates of Piano Performance. An enthusiastic supporter of the education of young musicians, Dr. Fong has served as guest artist and teacher at the Innsbrook Summer Festival, the New Hampshire Music Festival, the Salt Spring Piano Festival, the Montecito Summer Festival, the Sitka Chamber Music Festival, the Missouri River Arts Festival, and the Schlern International Music Festival faculty. A chamber music enthusiast, Dr. Fong frequently performs in chamber music settings. Dr. Fong collaborates closely with Sony-Classical Artist Gilles Apap from France, hailed as "a true violinist of the 21st century" by Yehudi Menuhin.
Dr. Fong has embarked on a series of collaborations with dancers, filmmakers, fashion designers, artists, and also enjoys performing music that crosses the genres of classical, jazz and Latin lounge. She is a frequent guest artist with three-time Grammy nominee, Pink Martini, which has been described as the house band of the United Nations, and whose music can be called "vintage music." This “little orchestra” was founded in 1994 to provide more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for political fundraisers for progressive causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, the environment, libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks. With the group, Dr. Fong has shared the stage with some of America's top orchestras and figures, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, NPR's Ari Shapiro and Emmy-award winner, Sesame Street.
Other collaborations have included: a collaboration with dance choreographer, Alicia Okouchi-Guy (whose credits include Prince, Paula Abdul, Married With Children, The Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV, the New York Knicks City Dancers), on a project entitled “Grace,” involving live, solo piano and a dance trio; performance with Grammy-winning ensemble, the Parker Quartet; her performance used in the play, “If All the Sky Were Paper,” by best-selling author/playwright Andrew Carroll, directed by John Benitz; a filming in London for a music video by Oscar nominated & multi-award winning film Director Mike Figgis. The music video has premiered at the 2011 Barbados Festival as well as the 2011 Deloitte Ignite Festival at the Royal Opera House in London. Dr. Fong can be seen on BBC television, Alexander Toradze documentary on WNIT-TV and national PBS; she can be heard on the RED label, and on the Heinz label for Starbucks release.