Celebrated for his “intimate dialogue between him…and the audience” (Barrie Examiner), pianist Chris Au is a 1st Prizewinner of the 2020 Sound Espressivo Global Competition (Music Ambassador Category), Prizewinner of the 2020 Texas State International Piano Concerto Competition, Prizewinner of the 2016 Shean Piano Competition, and Semi-Finalist of the 2020 Maestro Art Taiwan International Piano Competition. Most recently, he performed and competed in Rexxam Hall at the 2023 Takamatsu International Piano Competition.
Highlights of 2023 included a Fellowship and Artistic Residency at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance under the mentorship of Steven Isserlis, James Somerville, and Jane Coop. He made his concerto debut with the premiere movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Central Texas Philharmonic during the Texas State International Piano Festival and was later invited by Orford Musique to perform for Bill and Hillary Clinton at Manoir Hovey. In November 2023, Chris made his Carnegie Hall debut performing the Finale of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the New York Chamber Players Orchestra conducted by Maestro Giacomo Franci.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Sydney, Australia, Chris began formal studies at age 14 with renowned pedagogue Margaret Hair. He went on to win top prizes at the Sydney and Parramatta Eisteddfods. At 16, his musical development was interrupted when he was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis; under the care of Dr. Jeffrey Chaitow, ongoing biological treatment now keeps his condition under control.
Chris’s first international engagement took him to Germany, where he won the Audience 1st Prize at the 2010 Klaviersommer Bad Bertrich while working with John Perry. Inspired by this experience, he pursued further studies at The Colburn School with Ory Shihor, then at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music with John Perry and David Louie, completing both Undergraduate studies and an Artist Diploma. He was awarded the full-tuition Joan and Jerry Lozinski Scholarship and performed in Koerner Hall.
He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Montreal with Jean Saulnier and Jeanne Amiele in 2020, and pursued additional studies with Saulnier and Charles Richard-Hamelin through the D.E.P.A. program in 2021.
Chris has earned scholarships to major international festivals including the Banff Centre, Orford Academy, John Perry Academy, Gijon International Piano Festival, International Holland Music Sessions, and the Kawai Sydney International Piano Festival. He has performed in masterclasses with Menahem Pressler, Leon Fleisher, Richard Goode, Krzysztof Jablonski, Daniel Shapiro, Anton Nel, André Laplante, Marc Durand, Marietta Orlov, and Robert McDonald.
His inspired performances have led to frequent re-engagements, particularly with the Barrie Concert Association, where he is a regular artist for the Midday with Shigeru series and Pianofest. He is also a recurring guest at Concerts@100 in Toronto, performing alongside Timothy Chooi and members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to his performing career, Chris works with Virtual Concert Halls as a Live Broadcast Host, Social Media Manager, and Jury Member.
