With successes such as winning BBC Young Composer of the Year 2010, and performing at venues such as the Purcell Room and King’s Place, Catherine Cheung has established herself as both a pianist and a composer.
Credit: Ivan Weiss
Born in London, Catherine Cheung began her study of the piano at the age of five and also took up a study of the violin at the age of eight. In September 2003, Catherine began studying at the Purcell School where she worked with Ilana Davids, while also studying composition there with Haris Kittos, Dai Fujikura and Jonathan Cole, and held a scholarship under the Government's Music and Dance Scheme. Catherine received her Bachelor degree from the Royal College of Music, London, where she studied piano with Gordon Fergus-Thompson and composition with Alison Kay and Haris Kittos. Catherine was kindly supported by a Drapers’ Company Award while continuing at the Royal College of Music for a Masters in Performance degree. She continues to work with Gordon Fergus-Thompson.
Catherine was a finalist in the ‘2nd International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists’. She has performed at venues including St. Lawrence Jewry (Guildhall, London), Steinway Hall (London), Purcell Room (Southbank Centre), Louis Vuitton Maison (Bond Street) and in 2011, took part in the Lang Lang Inspire scheme performing at the Royal Festival Hall. She also performed as a soloist at the State Apartments at St. James's Palace for the Elgar Foundation, in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales, and has also had the pleasure of performing in countries such as New Zealand, and most recently Switzerland for the Cully Classique Festival. Catherine has worked with eminent pianists including John Lill, Vanessa Latarche, Peter Nagy, Dimitri Alexeev and Rita Wagner at the prestigious International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove.
Catherine has also had several successes with her compositions. In 2010, Catherine won the Purcell School Composition Competition, with the premiere of her orchestral piece ‘Fragmented Expanse’, performed by the Purcell School Symphony Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre. ‘Fragmented Expanse’ was then chosen as a winning entry for the BBC Young Composers’ Competition 2010, leading to a commission by BBC Inspire and MFY, and a Radio 3 broadcast. In 2011, this commission, 'Alter Ego', was performed in an MFY Prom and 'Fragmented Expanse' was recorded by the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Nicholas Collon conducting. Catherine's saxophone quartet 'Suspend/Coruscate' was shortlisted at the Herne Hill Music Festival Composition Competition 2012, and was consequently chosen as the winning work. There have also been numerous collaborations with artists including Zachary Eastwood-Bloom, and most recently Azadeh Fatehrad.
Future engagements include recitals in various venues across London, and compositions for screen, collaborating with artists and filmmakers.