Joanne Kong
Keyboardist Joanne Kong captures the attention of audiences in compelling performances that celebrate the vibrancy and eloquence of musical expression. Embracing a broad range of repertoire from Baroque to contemporary music, her performances have been praised for “great finesse and flexibility” (The Washington Post), “superb” playing (The Boston Globe), “utmost keyboard sensitivity and variety of tone” (Richmond Times-Dispatch), “remarkable technical ability” (The Oregonian), and “superb artistry” (San Antonio Express-News) for works “sensitively played” (The New York Times). Kong has performed to critical acclaim at numerous venues, with international performances in Austria, Italy, Cuba, the U. K., Colombia, India, and a 10-day concert tour of Brazil under the auspices of the Partners of the Americas and the U. S. State Department.
Her versatility includes the distinction of being the first artist to release a harpsichord-piano recording of the J. S. Bach Goldberg Variations and Beethoven Diabelli Variations, on the BRIOSO label. In 2007, she gave the World Premiere of Pulitzer Prize – winning composer Michael Colgrass’s Side by Side, the first concerto to be written that features a soloist in a dual role as both pianist and harpsichordist. The work was performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose conductor, Esprit Orchestra in Toronto conducted by Alex Pauk, and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra under Steven Smith.
Dr. Kong is the recipient of national and international honors including performance fellowships from the American Academy of the Arts in Europe and the Bach Aria Festival, designation as a Laureate in the 1983 National Beethoven Foundation Fellowship Auditions, three Ruth Lorraine Close Fellowships, and the Irl Allison Grand Prize in the 1985 International Piano Recording Competition for her performance of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. She has been a guest coach at New York University, New England Conservatory, the University of Southern California, Brigham Young University and Yale University, and has been recognized for her exceptional work with gifted young musicians. She is currently the director of the accompanying and chamber music programs at the University of Richmond.