Dr Nicholas Ong

Dr Nicholas Ong is the recipient of many international prizes, including First Prize at the Yvonne Lefébure International Piano Competition in France and finalist at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland. The New York Times praised him for his “firm rubber-ball touch and bounce” and Le Figaro for his “astonishing virtuosity.” He has performed in numerous concert halls across the United States, Europe, Asia – Alice Tully Hall, Miller Theatre in New York, Salle Gaveau, Salle Cortot in Paris, Seoul Arts Center, Tainan Cultural Centre, and in Festivals such as the Castleton Festival, Focus! Festival, Chopin Festival in Paris, Festival de l’Orangerie, Jeunes Pianistes Virtuoses in Lyon, “Piano en Saintonge” in Cognac, and the Villa Medicis Festival in Rome. His foray into contemporary music featured performances in Soundbridge Contemporary Music Festival in Malaysia, China-ASEAN Contemporary Music Festival in Nanning and Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival at Richmond University, Virginia. As a versatile chamber musician, he has collaborated in chamber concerts with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra musicians, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts faculty chamber concerts, and concert tours with principals of major orchestras and young talented musicians.

He received a Doctorate in Piano Performance at the Juilliard School in New York. Prior to that, he studied at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris under a French Government Scholarship, and Master of Music degree at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Dr Nicholas Ong is Head of Keyboard at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts in Singapore. He was on the jury for the Singapore Raffles International Music Festival 2023, Music Singapore International Piano and Violin Competition, Singapore International Young Pianist Competition 2024, and the Singapore Golden Lion Awards International Music Arts Festival. He is in demand for masterclasses and a frequent guest faculty at the Asia International Piano Academy Festival (AIPAF) in South Korea.