One of Australia's leading pianists, Kristian Chong has performed throughout Australia and the UK, and in China, France, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA, and Zimbabwe. His performance schedule finds him in demand as concerto soloist, chamber musician and solo recitalist.
As concerto soloist he has appeared with the Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Queensland, Sydney and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, and orchestras in the UK, New Zealand and China with conductors such as Werner Andreas Albert, Andrey Boreyko, Nicholas Braithwaite, Jessica Cottis, Fabian Russell, Roy Goodman, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Nicholas Milton, Benjamin Northey, Tuomas Hannikainen, Marcus Stenz, Arvo Volmer and Marco Zuccarini. Highlights have included Rachmaninoff 3rd with the Sydney Symphony, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Beijing and Canberra, and Britten with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. More recent concerto highlights include Shostakovich 2nd, Brahms 1st, Rachmaninoff 3rd, Beethoven's Emperor in Melbourne, Ravel's Left Hand concerto in Melbourne (Australian Youth Orchestra) and Dunedin (Dunedin Symphony Orchestra), Saint-Saëns 2nd and Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Malcolm Williamson's 2nd concerto with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
Described by The Age as ‘a true chamber musician at work’, Kristian is highly sought after with extensive collaborations with ensembles such as the Tinalley and Australian String Quartets, cellist Li-Wei Qin, flautist Megan Sterling and baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, with whom he has recorded with ABC Classics. Other collaborations include violinists Vadim Gluzman, Rebecca Chan, Sophie Rowell, Dale Barltrop, Daniel Dodds, Jack Liebeck, Natsuko Yoshimoto and Satu Vänskä, violists Christopher Moore and Wenhong Luo, cellist Timo-Veikko Vallve, mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup and clarinettist Philip Arkinstall, amongst many others. His festival appearances include the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Adelaide, Coriole, Huntington Estate, Mimir Chamber Music and Bangalow Festivals.
Other recent solo and chamber highlights include the Xing Hai Festival in Guangzhou, Australian Music Week on Gulangyu Island (Xiamen) with the MSO, Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, and the 'Kristian Chong and Friends' series at the Melbourne Recital Centre, which is in its eleventh year in 2024.
Kristian studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Piers Lane and Christopher Elton, with Stephen McIntyre at the University of Melbourne where Kristian currently teaches piano and chamber music, and with Noreen Stokes and Stefan Ammer at the Elder Conservatorium. His competition successes include the Symphony Australia Young Performers Award (keyboard) and the Australian National Piano Award.
