Dr Carmen Ching

Dr. Carmen Ching is a pianist, educator, and curriculum designer specializing in piano pedagogy, performance, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Kansas, graduating top of her class as recipient of the Carl A. Preyer Award, under the mentorship of Scott McBride Smith and Zechariah Plavin. She also holds a Professional Studies Diploma in Piano Performance from the Mannes School of Music (studied with Eteri Andjaparidze), a Master of Music in Piano Performance from New York University Steinhardt (studied with Dr. Yoojung Kim), and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Royal Academy of Music, London (studied with Tessa Nicholson).

 

Winner of First Prize and the Grand Chinese Prize at the International Young Artist Piano Competition in Washington D.C., Dr. Ching has performed at Steinway Hall in New York, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong City Hall, and the Lied Center in Kansas, with broadcasts on Kansas Public Radio. She has also represented Lawrence, Kansas as a delegate in Germany at the Eutin– Lawrence Sister Cities Concerts, performing solo works, Bizet’s Carmen and chamber works in cultural exchange.

 

Her festival experience includes the Aspen Music Festival (Polonsky Foundation Fellowship), Bowdoin International Music Festival, Puerto Rico International Music Festival, Vivace Piano Festival, and the Collaborative Piano Institute, where she trained with internationally renowned faculty such as Anton Nel, Hung-Kuan Chen, Martin Katz, and Kathleen Kelly. As a collaborative pianist, she has worked on opera and theatre productions including Così fan tutte, Trial by Jury, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dido and Aeneas, and La serva padrona. She has also performed in chamber ensembles and accompanied instrumentalists and vocalists across the US, UK, Germany, and Hong Kong.

 

Beyond performance, Dr. Ching has contributed to the music community as adjudicator at the Hong Kong International Music Festival, organizer of concerts promoting Hong Kong composers, and President of the MTNA Collegiate Chapter, where she coordinated masterclasses and workshops. Her research interests include Lisztian technique, the Lhévinne pedagogical legacy, folk elements in piano duets, and Hong Kong women composers, with her articles published in Vantage Magazine.