Biography
Hailed by the press for his “remarkable technical skills,” “hall-filling tone,” “moments of magic” and “expressive poetry with great intensity,” cellist Alvin Wong performs as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australasia in celebrated venues such as Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Solo Cellist
An advocate in music by living composers, Alvin premiered concertos and cello works by Chinese, Australian and American composers, including Grammy Award, Pulitzer Prize and McArthur Genius Award winners such as Aaron Jay Kernis, Bright Sheng, Zhou Long, Chen Yi, Narong Prangchareon and Augusta Read Thomas, among others. He recorded a solo cello album featuring works by Chinese composers, as well as other albums of chamber works by Mara Gibson, Claude Baker and Ingram Marshall. He appears regularly in new music festivals as a featured artist in Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States.
Orchestra Player
An avid chamber musician, Alvin was the founding member of the award-winning Noble Piano Trio in the U.S. He has also co-founded the faculty resident Ormond String Quartet at the University of Melbourne in Australia, and released an album featuring chamber music works by prominent Australian composers. As an orchestral musician, he served as the principal cellist of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and has performed with numerous orchestras as guest in Germany, Australia and the United States.
Researcher
An active artistic researcher, Alvin has presented his work at conferences as well as in performances throughout Europe, Asia and Australia, with the support of various organisations and grants from universities and governments. His research portfolio encompasses lecture recitals, commissions, world premieres (concertos, solo and chamber works), new cadenzas and a cello pedagogy pilot study in collaboration with the Australian Music Examination Board.
Lecturer
A sought-after teacher and pedagogue, Alvin currently serves on the cello faculty of the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media in Germany. Previously he was a full-time lecturer at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Australia). He also taught at Connecticut College (USA). Additionally, Alvin gives regular masterclasses across Asia, Australasia, Europe, and the United States. His comprehensive pedagogical approach has helped students to win competitions as well as teaching and orchestral positions in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.
Education
Born in Hong Kong, Alvin’s talent was first recognised by winning the “Student Musician of The Year 1999” from South China Morning Post. After further studies in the United States on full scholarships, Alvin holds music degrees from Eastman School of Music, Indiana University and Yale University, where he received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Artist Diploma. His major teachers include legendary cellists and pedagogues János Starker and Aldo Parisot.
In 2015, Alvin founded and directed the inaugural Melbourne Cello Festival to “a huge success…buzzing with excitement from day one. Well run and inspiring!” reported by Stringendo, the national Australian strings magazine. The festival returned to great acclaim in 2017.
Alvin plays on a 2003 William Whedbee cello from Chicago and a 2019 Sam Zygmuntowicz cello from Brooklyn, New York.
Der Cellist Alvin Wong, der von der Presse für seine “bemerkenswerten technischen Fähigkeiten”, seinen “hallenfüllenden Ton” und seine “ausdrucksstarke Poesie” gelobt wird, tritt als Konzertsolist, Rezitalist und Kammermusiker in ganz Amerika, Europa, Asien und Australasien in berühmten Konzertsälen wie der Carnegie Hall, dem Seoul Arts Center und dem Hong Kong Cultural Centre auf.
Solo Cellist
Als Verfechter der Werke lebender Komponisten brachte Alvin Konzerte und Cellowerke chinesischer, australischer und amerikanischer Komponisten zur Uraufführung, darunter Grammy Award-, Pulitzer Prize- und McArthur Genius Award-Preisträger wie Aaron Jay Kernis, Bright Sheng, Zhou Long, Chen Yi, Narong Prangchareon und Augusta Read Thomas, um nur einige zu nennen. Er nahm ein Solo-Cello-Album mit Werken chinesischer Komponisten sowie weitere Alben mit Kammermusikwerken von Mara Gibson, Claude Baker und Ingram Marshall auf. Zudem ist Alvin regelmäßig als Künstler zu Gast bei Festivals für neue Musik in Australien, Brasilien, Hongkong, Italien, Neuseeland, Thailand und den Vereinigten Staaten.
Orchesterspieler
Alvin ist ein begeisterter Kammermusiker und war Gründungsmitglied des preisgekrönten Noble Piano Trios in den USA. Außerdem ist er Mitbegründer des Ormond String Quartet an der Universität von Melbourne in Australien und veröffentlichte ein Album mit Kammermusikwerken prominenter australischer Komponisten. Als Orchestermusiker war er Solocellist des Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra und trat mit zahlreichen Orchestern als Gast in Deutschland, Australien und den Vereinigten Staaten auf.
Pädagoge mit Forschungshintergrund
Als aktiver künstlerischer Forscher hat Alvin seine wissenschaftliche Arbeit auf Konferenzen und in Aufführungen in ganz Europa, Asien und Australien vorgestellt, wobei er von verschiedenen Organisationen und Stipendien von Universitäten und Regierungen unterstützt wurde. Sein Forschungsportfolio umfasst Vortragsabende, Auftragsarbeiten, Uraufführungen (Konzerte, Solo- und Kammermusikwerke), neue Kadenzen und eine Pilotstudie zur Cellopädagogik in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Australian Music Examination Board.
Lehrer
Als gefragter Lehrer und Pädagoge ist Alvin derzeit Mitglied der Cello-Fakultät der Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Deutschland. Zuvor war er Vollzeitdozent am Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (Australien) und unterrichtete am Connecticut College (USA). Darüber hinaus gibt Alvin regelmäßig Meisterkurse in Asien, Australasien, Europa und den Vereinigten Staaten. Sein umfassender pädagogischer Ansatz hat dazu beigetragen, dass seine Studenten Wettbewerbe gewonnen und Lehr- und Orchesterstellen in Australien, Asien, Europa und den USA erhalten haben.
Ausbildung
In Hongkong geboren, wurde Alvins Talent erstmals durch den Gewinn des Preises “Student Musician of The Year 1999” der South China Morning Post öffentlich. Nach seiner Ausbildung in den Vereinigten Staaten, die er mit einem Vollstipendium absolvierte, erwarb Alvin Musikabschlüsse an der Eastman School of Music, der Indiana University und der Yale University, wo er den Doctor of Musical Arts und das Artist Diploma erhielt. Zu seinen wichtigsten Lehrern zählen die legendären Cellisten und Pädagogen János Starker und Aldo Parisot.
Im Jahr 2015 gründete und leitete Alvin das erste Melbourne Cello Festival, das “ein riesiger Erfolg war … vom ersten Tag an sehr aufregend. Gut organisiert und inspirierend”, wie Stringendo, das nationale australische Magazin für Streicher, berichtet. Das Festival wurde 2017 mit großem Erfolg wiederholt.
Alvin spielt auf einem William-Whedbee-Cello von 2003 aus Chicago und einem Sam-Zygmuntowicz-Cello von 2019 aus Brooklyn, New York.
Alvin Wong
As a cellist, I perform across Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas as concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Besides standard classical repertoire, I enjoy collaborating with contemporary composers, including Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, and premiering works in concerts and festivals. I have also held principal cello positions at the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and Missouri Symphony (guest) in USA, as well as performing with Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen in Germany.
Alvin is an excellent, highly-gifted cellist and musician...an important contributor to the musical life.
The Roots
From Student to Teacher
Australia
In 2014, I took up the Lecturer in Music (Cello) position at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, The University of Melbourne in Australia, as one of the then two full-time Strings faculty. Besides overseeing a cello cohort of 20-35 students, I also coordinated string ensemble, conservatory-wide competitions, undergraduate chamber music program and global mobility programs.
Germany
Relocation to Germany in 2019 offered new perspectives and opportunities. While continuing to perform and teach, I explored new paths in my creativity. Through making videos and other performance and teaching content, I have started new channels online and in social media.
I have made many arrangements of classical and popular works for cello ensembles and string quartets, as well as written my own cadenzas. In 2021 I began composing music for moving images. My first project was to write music for a short film from Hong Kong called “Happy Meds.” It tells the story of how five cancer patients tackle challenges in life and eventually form a fellowship to support cancer patients and their families.
Currently, I continue to perform with various orchestras and chamber ensembles in Germany, and working with the next generation of musicians, teachers and leaders at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media in Germany.
Top cellist with exquisite technique and brilliant expression.
